


Raining Roses

by micky_has_a_fez



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Beauty and the Beast!AU, Dipper is confused, Historical Inaccuracy, M/M, bill is secretive, literally nothing time line wise makes sense, mabel is heroic, more tags to come, the journals are there, this whole thing is littered with cliches, what did you expect from a fairytale au?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-16
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-04-26 14:19:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 31,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5007991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/micky_has_a_fez/pseuds/micky_has_a_fez
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dipper has never been one for heroics, especially when he has a twin sister to fill the role of 'hero' for the both of them, but that all changes when a daring and rather unplanned rescue goes wrong and the Pines twins find themselves in the presence of none other than the enigmatic Lord Cipher.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tale as Old as Time

**Author's Note:**

  * For [elentori](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=elentori).



> I was going to make this a thank you gift (for just being so fantastically awesome) to elentori but I'm awkward and weird and she prolly won't see it so I'm so sorry for wasting your time (btw idek wtf is up with the title...it just sounded beauty and the beast-ish, k).

Never ever let your over enthusiastic sister take control of an even more enthusiastic horse, especially if you don’t want to end up in one of those pesky ‘near death’ situations. Then again, even without his sibling’s coaxing, the universe had this constant habit of shoving Dipper Pines into the most awkward, dangerous, and completely insane positions that could ever exist. Like right now, for example.

Mabel had decided that they were going to go on an adventure, and though Dipper loved his fair share of mysteries and explorations, Mabel’s adventures tended to be followed by disastrous results. This time was no different.

“Mabel, I swear to whatever possible celestial being that is watching us that if you don’t stop this damn horse, I’m jumping off!” They were on their great uncle’s prized stead, which apparently had never been trained to stop. Mabel, of course, had insisted on taking the reins. She was the more ‘athletic’ one out of them. Yeah, all around this had been a huge mistake.

The older Pines twin scoffed, leaning forward even more to clutch the animal’s hair. “Just because you don’t know if there’s a god or not, doesn’t mean you have to complicate things like that! It’s just an expression!”

“ _Mabel!_ That’s _not_ what’s important right now!” His words morphed into a slight yelp as the horse, appropriately named Dasher, made a sharp turn which jerked Dipper’s whole body up in a quick, terrifying motion. He was incredibly thankful when the creature abruptly trotted to a stop, allowing him to slide from their shared saddle and nearly regurgitate his breakfast into the bushes. Luckily his stomach was reasonably tough from their great uncle Ford’s cooking, and he managed to quell the nausea.

“Relax, bro-bro!” Mabel cried, following in suit (more or less) as she too dismounted the horse. “Dasher was just having a little bit of fun! That’s all.”

Dipper straightened his back, taking in a deep breath of air to settle his racing heart. He then shot a sharp glare at Dasher, knowing full well that the animal couldn’t care less. “Seems like our definitions of fun are two very different things.”

His sister had already moved on, though. She was using her bejeweled dagger to pick away at some tangled vines that were covering an old stone wall. Or was it an abandoned castle of sorts because it was pretty tall for a…wait. “Oh my god, Mabel! That’s a tower!”

Mabel pulled away, frowning at him. “See what I mean? You’re not even consistent when you do and don’t use ‘god.’ It’s ridiculous!”

Dipper waved her off, staring up at the gigantic building in awe. It was huge and very out-of-place, almost as though it had appeared out of the ground by magic. How had they even missed it? They should’ve been able to see it from their own house, unless…maybe it _was_ magic! He reached an arm around the worn, brown vest he wore and pulled his field log from his belt. “This is incredible!”

Mabel simply rolled her eyes, laughing quietly. “You are such a nerd, you know that?”

Before Dipper could rebuttal, a shout came from the sky. Or, more correctly, the top of the tower. Both twins’ heads swiveled to look up, eyes widening simultaneously when they spotted a fair-haired girl.

“Hey! You two!” the girl cried, “Can you get me down from here?”

“There’s a person up there?” Mabel yelled, her voice thick with excitement. Typical Mabel.

“Of course there’s a person up here! Why the hell would there be a random tower at the edge of an enchanted forest?” The girl was obnoxiously loud, not to mention that she hadn’t even attempted to mask her snotty attitude.

Despite her logic being childish at best, though, she did have a point. They were just on the edge of the large clearing that separated Gravity Falls’ thin layer of woods from the Forbidden Forest. Yeah, the name needed a bit of an update. Grunkle Ford claimed it was called this because of all the magical and deadly mysteries that hid between the trees; Grunkle Stan said it was called that so no more dumbass teenagers would get themselves killed from going in the place alone. Whoever’s claim was true, it didn’t change the fact that they weren’t allowed to go anywhere near it (and this tower definitely qualified as near).

“C’mon, Mabel,” Dipper urged, tucking his little notebook away and nudging his twin’s elbow. “Let’s get out of here. Stan and Ford will kill us if they find out how close we are to the Forbidden Forest.” Geez, it sounded even worse when he said it aloud.

“But Dipper!” Mabel protested, pointing up at the girl who was now hanging her head farther out from the window sill. “She needs our help! Plus, this is your chance to be a hero!” She clasped her hands together, giving him her nearly perfected puppy dog face.

Groaning, Dipper ran a hand down his own face. “Fine, fine, fine, but we have to make it quick! I don’t wanna get punished for another whole month.” Last time it was because Mabel had insisted on breaking a pig out of the slaughter house. She’d gotten a new pet out of the whole fiasco, but all Dipper had earned was a stern talking-to and a month away from his books.

“Yay! Thank you!” she squealed, pulling him into a brief hug before snatching Dipper’s own dagger from his belt.

“He-“

“Relax, bro,” Mabel said, gripping Dipper’s knife in her left hand while her right one still had a strong hold on her own knife. She then wedged Dipper’s dagger into the cracks of the tower, lifting her hand up to do the same to her own. She pulled the first one out and lifted it even higher, feet using the uneven bricks to climb the tower.

Dipper watched her in surprise, wondering when she had learned to do something like that. His slackened-jaw and wide eyes earned a loud snicker from the blonde that no doubt was enjoying his shock. How the hell could she even see him from all the up there anyway?

“Hey! What’s your name?” Mabel called, already a third of the way up the tower. Dipper was praying she didn’t fall; he did _not_ want to explain what happened to the Stans.

“Pacifica,” the girl called back, now her turn to be startled by Mabel’s ability to multitask.

Dipper vaguely listened to the pair begin an odd conversation, especially since one of them was currently scaling the side of a tower. He took this time to flip through his log book, scribbling little details about the area. He was rudely interrupted by his sister’s loud screech of ‘I MADE IT!’

“Great, now hurry up and get down before Ford and Stan start to worry!”

“There is no way I’m climbing that…” he heard Pacifica screech. Oh for the love of all things magical…

Suddenly, as if out of nowhere, four black horses adorned by knights with matching armor came pounding through the clearing and towards the gloried prison where Mabel and Pacifica were waiting. They appeared out of nowhere in a terrifying instant, just like the tower had.

Dipper let out a squeak, collecting his book and diving behind some tall bushes, fear gripping his throat. Maybe they were friendly riders, yeah? Nobles even, from a far off land. Obviously, that had to be it. His twin was going to be safe and sound. Definitely!

“Who dares enter the territory of Lord Cipher?” one of the knights bellowed, his voice low and cold.

There was muffled shrieking and what sounded like struggling when finally, he heard Mabel’s voice. “Excuse you! I don’t know who you black magic creeps think you are, but I was trying to do something good here and you buttfaces are ruining it!” Ah yes, the ever-so-threatening insult of calling someone a ‘buttface.’ You couldn’t get more serious than that with Mabel.

“Yeah!” There was Pacifica’s voice. “What she said!”

Dipper finally dared to peak up over the shrubbery to see what was going on, just in time to see a golden carriage arrive on the scene. Mabel and Pacifica were somehow on the ground, fierce looks on their young faces. Black magic indeed…

Dipper’s eyes nearly popped out of his head when he saw a figure clothed in fine robes step from the decorative wagon. He couldn’t catch a glimpse of the man’s face from the angle he was at, but he suspected it was the ‘Lord Cipher’ that the knights had mentioned.

“Well, well, well,” the Lord cried, resting a hand on his bejeweled cane. “What do we have here? Did you finally get somebody to try and rescue you, Blondie?” He laughed, throwing his head back dramatically. “How cute.”

Mabel held her chin high, eyes blazing as her hands settled on her hips. “Keeping someone locked up like that is cruel and inhuman! Who do you think you are?”

This made Cipher laugh even more, circling around her and Pacifica until Dipper was finally able to see his face. He had to hold back a gasp as he stared at the man with the mischievous smirk on his lips. There wasn’t anything too odd about his gold hair or his tanned skin, despite perhaps being a bit rare in this area. No, what made the hidden Pines twin stare was the large bandage covering his left eye and the odd, blue stuff appearing to drip down his cheek from beneath it. Besides that strange and rather frightening appendage, he really did look the part of a king, from the plentiful jewelry to his spotless, gold robe.

“Let me tell you something, kid,” Cipher said, continuing to circle her like a predator circled its prey. “I own her.” He grabbed onto Pacifica’s wrist harshly, who gave a futile attempt at pulling away before deciding to shoot him an icy glare. “She was sold to me, by her parents no less.”

Dipper’s heart dropped, instantly regretting his originally harsh judgement of the girl he’d just met and hadn’t even had a full conversation with. No wonder she came across as a bit of a bitch. Who wouldn’t if their parents literally sold them to some egomaniacal rich guy?

“That’s awful!” Mabel gasped, wrenching Lord Cipher’s hand off of Pacifica’s arm and standing between them. “I refuse to let this poor girl be deprived of any more of life’s joys like rolling in super green, summer grass, sneaking candy from the carts at the market, and putting glitter in all of your brother’s clothes!” Dipper shuttered at the memory of having to walk around with pink glitter on all his ratty shirts for weeks.

Pacifica wrinkled her nose, looking at Mabel with a raised eyebrow. “ _Those_ are life’s greatest joys?”

“Shush, not helping.”

The lord chuckled even louder, his laugh more menacing than anything. “I don’t take too well to people trying to steal my stuff,” he said dryly. Dipper gulped, pressing his knuckles to his lips as he watched the whole thing unfold with nervous eyes. What if this guy tried to kill Mabel? Sure, she could hold her own, but not against four magically-inclined knights (not even including the one that had brought the carriage), and the Lord himself. Even if Dipper jumped out to help, the whole fight would be futile.

“Well, I’m not leaving here without her!” Mabel insisted, and Dipper internally groaned. She really was moral to a fault sometimes.

“I’m afraid that’s not how things work, my dear,” Cipher said, and Dipper really wished he had his dagger right about now. At least he’d have some sort of chance with a weapon, but he was currently useless. “But I can offer you a deal.” Oh no.

Mabel narrowed her eyes. “What kind of deal?”

“Oh, you know, the usual,” he said, voice feigning casualty. “An eye for an eye, a person for a person.” His last words were thick and hung in the air, causing Dipper to shiver. There was no way she was actually considering trading herself for a girl they had literally just met moments ago, was she?

“Besides,” Cipher continued, waving his hand, “Blondie was annoying. I eventually just gave up and locked her in this tower.”

“Hey!” Pacifica yelled, clearly offended by the lord’s comment. He simply ignored her though, as if proving he was obviously used to this type of reaction.

“I’ll give you a room and food, and my staff will be at your dispense. You just have to stay with me forever and not be an obnoxious bitch.” He hissed out the last word, shooting Pacifica a glare. She returned it tenfold. “So, do we have a deal?” He held out his hand, an eerie smile on his face as he waited for Mabel to think it over.

“Wait, stop! Don’t do it!”

Dipper jumped out from where he had been hiding, brown eyes pleading with his sister. All attention turned his way, and he could feel Cipher’s prodding gaze studying him. Damn, what had he gotten himself into?

“Mabel, don’t do this,” he repeated when no one else spoke. He drew closer, placing a hand on her arm. The knights tightened their grips on their weapons, but Cipher held up a hand and they didn’t move. Instead, they all watched as their master scrutinized the newly-arrived peasant boy with piqued interest.

“It’s not worth it,” Dipper continued, keeping his eyes steady with his sister’s. “You don’t have to do this.”

“Ah, well, that’s where I’m afraid you’re wrong, kid,” Cipher said, drawing Dipper’s attention to him. He snapped his fingers and all the knights simultaneously redrew their swords and pointed them at the trio. “These knights here are made purely of dark magic,” he explained, “They’re under my control, and practically indestructible.”

“Everything has an Achilles’s heal,” Dipper snapped, astonished by the unusual bite in his tone.

Cipher smirked, looking over him in a way Dipper couldn’t quite place. “Looks like you’re not as stupid as I pegged you to be,” he said, leaning closer to the lanky teenager. “But I did say practically.” He stared at Dipper with a smug look before turning his attention back to Mabel. “What’ll it be? Come with me and I let the other two go, or I have my guys slice all of you to unrecognizable pieces on the spot?” Though the words were obviously directed at his sister, Bill kept glancing over at Dipper with that same, shit-eating grin.

Before Mabel even had time to answer, Dipper decided what he was going to do. “Take me instead,” he shouted, nudging his twin out of the way and giving Cipher’s hand a firm shake. The lord returned it gladly, his grin growing wider at Dipper’s sudden action.

Mabel immediately reacted, trying to pull him back. “What the hell, Dipper? What are you doing? We could’ve gotten out of this!”

“And risk you getting killed?” Dipper forced out, turning to face Mabel with a determined look of his own. “No way.”

“But, bro-“

“Stop, Mabel, please,” Dipper said, shaking his head. “You’re the important one. Stan and Ford need you.”

“They need you too!” Mabel insisted, looking up at her brother with tearful eyes.

Shit, he hated when Mabel cried. “It’ll be okay, trust me.”

“Now, now,” Cipher cut in, silencing the both of them. “Enough of that mushy family junk. I don’t have all day, Shooting Star. If you don’t want me to go back on the deal, take Blondie and get out of here.”

Dipper’s eyes wandered over Mabel’s figure, catching the little shooting star sewn onto her vest. He had forgotten about those up until Cipher had mentioned them. Way back when they first moved in with their great uncles after the death of their parents, Mabel had added little symbols to everyone’s clothes. Even Stan had his own, despite much protest at first. Dipper glanced down at the little pine tree on the upper corner of his vest, rubbing his fingers along it carefully.

Pacifica was grabbing Mabel’s arm, pulling her away from the dark knights, Lord Cipher, and Dipper. “C’mon,” she said, “We’ll get him back. There’s nothing we can do right now.” Her voice was earnest, and while Dipper knew she was right again, he wished Mabel would turn around and come stampeding back.

“Come along, kid,” Cipher’s voice called from behind him, and Dipper took one last look at his sister before turning away and following the lord into his lavish carriage.

He gulped, sitting up straight and rather awkwardly across from the regal man as they rode deep into the forest. This only caused another ripple of laughter to escape from Cipher’s lips. Perhaps _he_ was the reason Stan and Ford had kept the twins away from this place…

“Sheesh, don’t be so stiff, Pine Tree,” he said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together. Dipper sighed. So it seemed Bill had noticed that he had one of those little symbols as well…

“Sorry I’m not all too comfortable being forced to live with a complete stranger for the rest of my life,” he said, fiddling with the ends of his worn shorts. This was as close to kidnapping as you could get without actually calling it that.

“Please, kid, get your facts right,” Cipher stated, “You came of your own will.”

Dipper scowled at the man, anger boiling up in his chest. “I wasn’t about to let my sister give up her whole life like that.” It had all happened so fast, too. Maybe if he’d just had more time, there could’ve been a way they all got out of it.

Lord Cipher leaned back in his seat, nodding his head in apparent approval. “That’s quite admirable that you care for her so much.”

Dipper flinched at the compliment, not liking the way it slid off the blond’s tongue. He was basically this guy’s prisoner, albeit by choice, he still shouldn’t be trying to win Dipper’s trust through flattery. Fortunately, Dipper Pines wasn’t one to trust people easily, if at all. He just assumed it was all manipulation on Cipher’s part. What else could it be?

“What do I call you?” Dipper asked suddenly, realizing he didn’t actually know his captor’s first name.

“What?” he chuckled, a slow smirk spreading over his lips, “Lord Cipher isn’t enough?”

Dipper shook his head, his confidence still reasonably high after his heroic act of saving Mabel and Pacifica.

“William, or Bill if you prefer,” the lord said. “Bill Cipher.”

Dipper gave a curt nod, trying to brush off the undoubtable tremble that raced down his spine when Ciph-erm-Bill had revealed his name. “Right, uh, I’m Dipper Pines.”

Bill’s smile hadn’t wavered at all, which in itself was creepy, but that eye bandage is what really bothered Dipper. Well, not the white cloth per say, but the blue substance he’d originally thought to be liquid dripping from underneath. Once he’d gotten a closer look though, he’d come to the understanding that it was actually part of this man’s skin, not a liquid at all.

“Dipper’s an interesting name,” Bill commented smoothly, pulling the eighteen-year-old out of his thoughts.

“It’s a nickname.”

“Mmm, well, it’s an interesting nickname.”

Dipper was thankful Bill didn’t pry into the meaning behind his name any further, so instead he turned his head, taking in the view of twisted trees and copious shrubbery. This forest looked so normal in comparison to how the townsfolk, Stan and Ford included, had always described it. Then again, things were never as they seemed.

It wasn’t long before a dark castle loomed in Dipper’s view, and it didn’t take Bill’s words to let him know that they had reached his new living accommodations. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes and thinking of his sister. She was the reason he was doing this. She deserved to live a happy and fruitful life, and now she had that chance. If everything were to happen again, he would sacrifice himself just the same.

After calming his nerves, he reopened his eyes to see Bill standing just outside the carriage, his hand outstretched for Dipper to take.

Dipper ignored the man’s arm and got out himself. Bill’s smirk only widened. Was that the only expression he ever made?

Dipper’s jaw nearly dropped when he gazed up at the enormous palace. It may have looked threatening and dank from far away, but up close he could see every architectural detail, every golden decoration, and every carefully placed statue.

Bill stood beside him, basking in the boy’s awe. “Dipper Pines, welcome to your new home.”


	2. True as It Can Be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's pretend just for today that this actually was a good and well-executed idea.

Bill had been quick to lead Dipper through the house. It was a rushed and overall pointless tour that he was given before being dropped off at his bedroom with a few instructions.

“Just some ground rules to make sure you don’t get into trouble,” Bill explained. “One, don’t leave the estate. You can go outside and in the gardens when you please, though.”

“I figured as much,” Dipper responded with a shrug.

“Two, don’t pester the servants often. They will provide you with the necessities as well as the occasional room cleaning, but most of them are bit…irritable. Especially the chef, don’t complain about her food unless you want to wake up with a knife in your eye.”

Dipper opened his mouth, a bit shocked by the lord’s bluntness, but immediately deciding against asking if that was how his eye bandage had come into the picture.

“Finally,” Bill said, turning on his heel so he was staring harshly down at Dipper, despite their minimal height difference. “Stay out of the hallway in the upper west wing.”

“W-why?” Dipper asked, eyes widening in curiosity.

“Because I say so,” Bill responded, and that was that. Dipper’s confidence had severely deflated after being half-dragged through the mansion.

“I don’t care what you do with your time otherwise, it’s not really my concern,” Bill said, waving his hand as he made his way to the door.

“What? You’re leaving already?” Dipper was surprised at the urgency in his voice as he spoke.

Bill’s gaze returned to the meet his, a sultry look suddenly crossing over his features. “Did you want something more?” he asked, his low tone making Dipper’s blood run cold.

Bill drew closer, and as Dipper attempted to move back he captured his chin with his black-gloved fingers. “Oh don’t be shy, Pine Tree,” Bill whispered, his single golden eye observing Dipper’s confused reaction.

Dipper was frozen in place for a moment, held by that sparkling eye and Bill’s teasing voice. “Nothing like that,” he finally stammered, taking a step backwards so he could catch his breath. Just being near this man was so incredibly tiring, it scared him.

Bill snickered, his suggestive look falling away as though he were removing a mask. “No need to be so sensitive, kid, it was just a joke.”

Dipper crossed his arms over his chest with a frown. “Well, I didn’t find it all that funny.”

“Jeesh, someone needs to get a sense of humor!” he cried, flicking Dipper’s nose before slipping out the door. The lord left Dipper reeling, clenching his fists in frustration. How was he supposed to live this frustrating guy until he died?

He spent a good ten minutes contemplating these thoughts, proceeding to scour the lavish room for any sort of secret door he could use to slip away in the night. It was a freakishly old castle by the looks of it, so he could only hope.

Nearly an hour of pacing and desperately searching later, Dipper turned up empty handed.

“Maybe I’ll have more luck somewhere else,” he mumbled to himself, finally daring to depart from his new bedroom to sneak around the rest of where Lord Cipher called home.

The halls were eerily silent, and Dipper was honestly shocked that there weren’t any guards posted at his door. Then again, Bill had insisted his black magic knights were strictly guarding the perimeter when they had first arrived, so it wasn’t as though the teenager could really go anywhere.

If Mabel had been with him, she would’ve insisted that they could find a way out. That was his sister, though. She was so fiercely determined when it came to the things she cared about, it was borderline dangerous.

He sighed, sucking in a shaky gasp of air to keep his head clear. All for her, all for Mabel and his family. That’s what he had to remind himself. Dipper being here was keeping her safe and sound out there.

“Whoa, hey! Watch where you’re going you filthy animal!”

Dipper had been so swept up in the thoughts of his sister that he hadn’t seen the dark clothed, lanky man coming from the opposite direction. In retrospect, it was ridiculous that he hadn’t noticed the only other being in the long hallway.

“What, you’re just gonna gawk at me like you’ve got nothing in your head?” the man asked with an agitated huff. “You’re just as bad as that bratty little shit of a girl the master dragged in a few years back.”

Dipper frowned, his eyes narrowing as the man spoke. “Sorry, I was lost in thought.”

“Tch, whatever. I just thought Cipher had sworn off dragging anyone back here after the last disaster, especially someone as _young_ as you.” He shot Dipper a condescending look, which caused the boy to raise his eyebrows in offense.

“Uhm, I’m Dipper,” he forced out between slightly clenched teeth. Best not to make waves when Bill had such powerful magic, right?

The man in black lazily moved his gaze to fall on Dipper, his mouth twisted in disinterest. “The name’s Robbie,” he finally said, “But you can call me ‘sir’ or something respectable like that.”

“I’d rather not.”

His tone was so casual that Mr. Dark and Gloomy almost didn’t catch what he’d said, but when he did he scowled at Dipper. “Ugh, never mind, you _are_ worse than that blonde chick.”

When Dipper made no move to reply, Robbie rolled his eyes for a second time before shouldering him out of the way. He padded down the hall, shoulders slumped and hands tucked in his pockets. If it weren’t for his fancy suit, Dipper would’ve sworn he was a zombie or something.

“What’s his deal?” Dipper muttered to himself, tugging down the edges of his vest as he continued walking by door after door. 

He finally reached the end after what felt like hours later. The hallway opened up into the large room Bill and he had entered not too long ago. Two grand staircases led to the ground floor, with a balcony looking out over on the ballroom-isc area. Sure, this strange noble had an infatuation with gold and was basically holding him hostage, but boy did he have an eye (no pun intended) for decorating. Everything was so shiny and gorgeous it made the spine-chilling feeling Dipper originally had fade away.

He wasn’t one for parties, not that he’d been to enough to say he was experienced, but this would’ve made the perfect location for one of those fancy balls Mabel was always daydreaming about.

Dipper shook his head, passing the stairs with his head angled down. Though thoughts of Mabel were what he was using to keep himself here, they also made his heart feel like it was being crushed right inside his chest. It was all just too much.

He kept moving swiftly along until he reached a dead end. Well, almost. Though the hallway ended, a wooden door unlike all the others stood before him. Dipper attempted to turn the worn doorknob, but the peculiar door didn’t budge.

"Must be something this fancy lord doesn’t want to share," he mumbled aloud. Despite his conclusion though, Dipper permitted his curiosity to get the better of him as he leaned in to peak through the rather large keyhole.

Through the small little window, Dipper saw a room stacked tall with books, scrolls, and many more papers. A desk sat in the middle, a globe placed neatly atop it. A few miscellaneous cobwebs and obvious layers of dust proved that this mysterious room hadn’t been entered in at least a few years.

Dipper straightened his back, breath catching in his throat. Something about this covert and out-of-place room felt oddly familiar. Where had Bill told him not to go again? The west wing? Though he wasn’t quite sure where he was, he wasn’t about to take any chances. Dipper turned on his heel, making a beeline back down the hallway and to his room. Still, an indescribable urge struck him to return to that locked up area of the mansion. He’d had similar urges back when he’d explore the smaller forests surrounding Gravity Falls. Ford called it his adventurer’s intuition. Stan claimed he was just sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

Sneaking back into his chambers, Dipper was more than surprised to see a tall, red-headed woman leaning against his bedpost and aimlessly carving into it with her small knife. He let out something akin to a girlish shriek, which only made the stranger laugh.

“Sorry man, didn’t mean to freak you out like that. The triangle guy just sent me to check on you,” she said, sheathing her small dagger and giving him a bright smile. “The name’s Wendy.”

The anxiety that had been bubbling in Dipper’s chest began receding, and he couldn’t help but return a sheepish smile. The way the corners of her mouth curved, they reminded him of his sister’s own contagious grin.

Dipper held out his hand to shake Wendy’s, her grip firm and welcoming. “Dipper,” he said, managing to not trip over his words, “The triangle guy, though? Are you talking about Bill?”

Wendy laughed again, patting his puffy curls. She was pretty tall, honestly, standing only an inch or so taller than himself. “Lord Cipher’s a bit too regal, don’t ya think?” she said. “He’s always had a fondness for triangular things anyway, so the nickname kinda suits him.”

Really? Dipper found it hard to believe that the same Lord Cipher he’d met this morning had a servant that was so relaxed and…cool.

“So, uh, what exactly is your job around here?” he asked, patting down his now tousled hair to ensure his birthmark stayed hidden.

Wendy hummed, one hand stroking her chin while the other was placed nonchalantly on her hip. “What don’t I do?” she finally said, “Mr. Goldie here has me doing everything from cleaning to building him new furniture. You’d think he wouldn’t need it though with all his fancy magic and junk.”

Wendy’s gaze moved back to Dipper, who couldn’t help but stare at her with wide eyes.

“What’s with that face, kid? You’re looking at me like I’m a ghost or something.”

“What? Sorry, no, I didn’t-“ Dipper blushed, nervously itching at a dry patch of skin on his arm. He sighed, pausing to compose himself before continuing. “I just didn’t expect there to be like, nice people here.”

It was Wendy’s turn to stare at the boy before breaking out into a fit of giggles. “Did Cipher scare you that much?”

“N-no,” Dipper said, eyebrows furrowed, “I’m supposed to be a prisoner is all, and so far it hasn’t really felt like I’ve been imprisoned or anything.” Beside the fact that he dreadfully wanted to see his sister and couldn’t, but that was a given.

Wendy shot him a half-smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Look, Dipper,” she began, her voice losing its playful edge. “Bill isn’t really what he seems, he’s just a bit rough around the ends. Though, he can be an asshole at times.”

“Oh, I know,” Dipper replied, perhaps a bit too quickly.

“I’ve been stuck in this place for years now, and I’m still living and breathing. Sure, there was that one time when I tried sneaking some cookie dough from Giffany an-“

“Wait, who the hell is Giffany?”

“-ong story short I learned my lesson, but that’s not the point. All I’m saying I guess is that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”

Dipper eyed her suspiciously, wondering exactly how much Bill had told his servants about what had went down on the edge of the forest earlier that day. Perhaps he’s left out the details where he threatened to _kill_ the three of them if Mabel didn’t accept his deal. Or maybe, they were just used to Cipher’s awful and blatantly manipulative ways.

“We’ll see,” Dipper said, realizing he had been distracted by his own thoughts yet again.

Wendy gave him a once-over, expression filled with concern before replacing it with yet another toothy grin. Were all the people here as two-faced as Bill was?

“Look at the time, Dip, we’d better get you ready!”

Startled by her sudden outburst, Dipper gripped at the cloth of his shirt. “Ready for what?” Was this it? Was this girl just sent here to lull him into a false sense of trust before leading him away to where he’d no doubt be sacrificed for some Satanic ritual?

“Relax, dude, it’s just dinner,” she said, pushing him towards the ornate wardrobe at the other end of the room. “Cipher would have my head if he let you come in those ratty ol’ clothes.”

Collecting his breath, Dipper shook his head. What was wrong with him? He was jumping to conclusions like one of those extremist religious groups he disliked so much. He tried to calm the knot in his stomach that made him feel uneasy as Wendy unceremoniously yanked some suits out of the closet. He _could_ really use something to eat about now…

Dipper huffed, snatching one of the freshly pressed suits from the redhead’s grasp and slipping behind the dressing curtain before he could change his mind.

“We’ll see,” he murmured again, this time out of earshot. “We’ll see…”

~~~~~

Rain was pelting down on the little old shack that the Pines Family called home. Ford was flipping through a book, eyes focused on the pages as though they held the secret to life itself. Stan was slumped at the kitchen table, fingers drumming on the wood nervously. The aging men were both torn from the tasks before them when the door flew open, a crack of thunder following just a moment later.

“Mabel!” Both Stan and Ford jumped to their feet, rushing over to the doorway.

“Where the hell have you been?” Stan half-shouted, his face warping from anger to relief in an instant. “Are you ok? Where’s your brother?”

“And who’s this?” Ford asked, gesturing to the blonde who was slumped over Mabel’s shoulder, eyes wide.

“Pacifica…she was…we were…escaped…” Mabel’s voice was cracked and her words were slurred. Stan and Ford exchanged the same worried expression as the girl did her best to choke back tears. Both her and Pacifica were soaked and chilled to the bone, not to mention absolutely exhausted.

“Mabel, sweetie…“ Stan stepped forward to help her, his own breath quickening.

“Where’s Dipper?” Ford interrupted, his voice stern and edged with just the slightest bit of fear.

Mabel swayed in place, and both Pacifica and Stan had to hold her up. “Dipper…kidnapped by…Cipher…”

And with that her eyelids dropped and she collapsed to the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't too fond of this chapter, but I had to get the ball rolling and make a plot yadda yadda. From now on updates will be on Sundays or Mondays (mostly depending on new GF episodes and my own shitty schedule). As always, feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated! :3


	3. Barely Even Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's late, I know. Just throw me in the trash now, set me free of my suffering.
> 
> I'll go back through for grammar and spelling again tomorrow.

“I now present the one and only, Dipper Pines!”

Dipper tugged at his collar nervously, clearing his throat. “Wendy…” he muttered under his breath, but she didn’t seem to hear him. Or maybe she did and she was simply ignoring it. The freckled redhead urged Dipper down the grand staircase to where a long table was covered to the very last inch with silver platters. If he hadn’t been so hungry, he would’ve put up more of a fuss about being so loudly introduced.

Bill was watching him with that unreadable gaze, elbow resting on the arm of his chair and chin in hand. “He actually does clean up nicely,” Bill said, a sharp smirk playing on his lips. “Yet another miracle from the impossible girl.”

“I’m right here, you know,” Dipper huffed, taking a seat at the other end of the dining table.

“Oh, I know,” Bill replied sharply, head jerking from Wendy to Dipper with a single, swift motion. Dipper flinched, scolding himself for being so easily teased by this ridiculous asshole. Bill only continued to smile, revealing his pearly, white teeth, along with a single golden one. Why was Dipper not fucking surprised?

“I showed our guest th-“

“ _My_ guest, Red.” Guest? Since when was Dipper a guest?

Wendy’s eyes narrowed, but her body hardly moved at all. “I showed _your_ guest his wardrobe and all the clothes inside, sir, so he won’t smell like he slept in a stable anymore.”

“Yeah, uh, how did you get my measurements so soon anyway?” Dipper asked.

Bill snapped his fingers, a blue flame manifesting just above his palm. “Magic, kid,” he said, “I thought we went over this.”

Dipper’s hand gripped the tablecloth, but he said nothing.

Bill smothered the fire with his fingers and turned his attention back to Wendy, who had grown much quieter now that they were in the lord’s presence. “Off you go!” He flicked his wrist, and Wendy bowed before she disappeared back up the stairs and around the corner.

“Right, now,” Bill clapped his hands and a small group of red-hatted men practically waltzed from the kitchen. Napkins pressed perfectly over their left arms, they all simultaneously reached down to remove the silver lids that covered the food. Dipper was nearly drooling at the sight of it all. Lord Cipher obviously housed a fully-stalked pantry because there were no delicacies missing. Everything from sliced, exotic fruits to savory chicken to buttery rolls lined the table. “Let’s eat!”

Though Grunkle Ford had trained him wiser, Dipper couldn’t help but dig in. He had been ravished long before he’d arrived at the castle, and he wasn’t about to turn down the fanciest meal he’d ever been offered in his entire life.

Between forkfuls of warm vegetables and creamy mash potatoes, he heard Bill speak.

“What do they feed you back in Smallsville, kid? You look like you could eat a horse!”

Dipper pulled the utensil from between his lips, swallowing the heavenly food as he glanced at Bill. “Not far from it,” he said, reaching forwards to snag another croissant. “And it’s Gravity Falls.”

“Never heard of it,” Bill said sharply, folding his hands and willing Dipper on with his eye.

Dipper struggled to shallow, the delectable food causing an aching pain as it was forced down much too quickly. “It is small, not really of any importance to anyone nearby,” Dipper explained. “We don’t exactly have a leader, per say, but-“ He took another hasty mouthful of food, aware that it was a bit rude, but he was too hungry to care. “-there’s a town hero who basically controls everything.”

Bill’s eyebrows were raised now, lips set in an emotionless line. It was probably the most serious Dipper had even see the man in the less than 24 hour time period he had known him. He took this as another que to continue.

“He’s a priest, very religious and fussy, though he’s a bit of a hypocrite when it comes to the rules and all.” Dipper lifted his napkin to clean the corners of his lips. “He insists Gravity Falls is a spiritual outlet of some kind, and that God himself sent him to enlighten the people of the world through the power of the town.” It was a whole bunch of bullshit if you asked him, but Dipper didn’t say that aloud.

“Sounds like a real fun guy to know,” Bill chuckled, resuming his slow and meticulous eating.

“Oh, you have no idea,” Dipper argued. “He’s doused my great uncle in holy water more than a few times, even more often since he learned of his fierce atheism.” Both he and Bill were laughing now, though softly, it was a relaxing moment that caused Dipper’s guard to drop ever-so-slightly.

Bill rubbed his forehead, laughter still faintly echoing around the room. “Humans are so unabashedly ignorant, it’s hilarious!”

“You say that like you aren’t one,” Dipper replied, still riding off the high of their previously shared moment.

“Maybe I’m not.”

The sudden intensity of Bill’s voice made Dipper freeze, and just like that he felt those walls rise back up and lock securely in place. Not…human? Sure, he possessed magical abilities, that was obvious enough, but it wasn’t an uncommon trait in humans at all. The notion that Bill Cipher wasn’t a human being, though, made too much sense to him. Why did it seem so understandable? Was it because this infuriatingly alluring man was still a near complete mystery to him? Or was it because of his way of twisting words and manipulating the situation to his own liking?

“I didn’t realize you and the turkey were so well-acquainted, Pine Tree,” Bill teased, and Dipper snapped his head up to notice that the lord was now standing. “You’ve been staring at the poor thing now for quite a while.”

Dipper jumped to his feet, chair rushing outward behind him as his hands flattened against the table for support.

“Are you leaving already?” the brunet asked.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I am.” Bill pushed in his own chair, clapping his gloved hands. The same servers as before swooped in, clearing the dishes in swift and flawless motions. “I’ve got deals to strike and moderately annoying bugs to swish. Busy, busy life.”

“What is it you do exactly?” Dipper asked.

“I’m a business man, of sorts,” Bill said with a laugh.

And with that, he flitted away just like earlier.

Dipper was left fumbling with his thoughts. Business man, huh? That hardly answered any of his questions. If anything, it only raised more.

The days following were about the same. Dipper would spend time pacing his room, muttering conversations to himself and letting his mind wander. Then he’d dare to search the mansion a bit, just long enough so when he would return to his chambers, Wendy would be waiting to get him all dressed up for dinner. For the other meals of the day, he was left to his own devices, but eating dinner with Lord Cipher was an unspoken requirement.

It wasn’t so bad, Dipper would admit, and though Bill poked and pestered him, he found himself much less miserable than he’d originally thought he’d be. The small town boy even gained his bite back after growing more comfortable in Bill’s presence.

Despite this and his steadily growing friendship with a certain redhead, Dipper was lonely. The mansion was almost always quiet, and he hardly had anyone to actually talk to. Not to mention that Bill was never around. For someone who had taken Dipper prisoner, he sure was falling down on his job of ‘kidnapper.’

One day, after about a week of putting up with Bill racing away at the drop of a hat, Dipper put his foot down. Or more specifically, Bill’s ass.

The lord curtly stood from his place at the table, as he had now done for the previous six days, to make his usual exit after dinner. Dipper was on him in an instant, though, pushing him back down into the cushioned chair and glaring at him with straightened back and a steady gaze.

Bill was more than a bit surprised, as expected, but he quickly wiped the look of shock from his face to immediately replace it with one of annoyance. “What was that about, kid?” he asked, tightening his fingers around the armrests of his seat.

Dipper’s lips held their tight frown, his hands on his hips. “I’ve been here a week and all you’ve done is forced me to eat dinner with you and then disappeared to hell knows where!”

Bill let out a cold chuckle. “What do you expect me to do? Visit your room in the morning to wake you up? Coddle you all day long so you’re not bored? How about I just tuck you in to bed at night while I’m at it?” In spite of his obvious aggression, his voice was hardly louder than normal. Either Bill was very good at keeping his cool, or he was just incredibly loud on a daily basis.

Probably both.

Bill rose to his feet again, eye narrowed. Dipper met it with a similarly harsh glare. In the past few days, he had accomplished not looking at the messy bandage over his eyes and the mysterious blue lines just below it. He had enough questions as it was, and speculating about Bill’s eye was just the tip of the iceberg.

“Fine,” Bill hissed, reaching a hand out to harshly clamp onto Dipper’s wrist. Before he knew it, the twin was being dragged down a hall he had explored a couple days ago when he’d almost knocked out the strange gardener trying to open a window.

Dipper made no move to pull away, despite Bill’s painfully tight grip on his wrist. For all he knew though, Bill could be taking into his secret torture chamber or murder room. Were there such things as murder rooms? Most likely. This was Bill Cipher after all. He probably had a dozen of them.

They took a sharp turn, and before he knew it Dipper found himself staring at a brightly colored door he hadn’t yet been through.

“This door was locked,” he said, dumbly.

Bill waved his hand, and a faint click was heard. “Now it’s not.”

“Why-“

Bill scoffed, cutting Dipper off and pushing the boy into the room ahead of him. He then leaned in to light a handful of candles with another flick of his hand.

Dipper gasped at the sight in front of him, brown eyes blown wide. He was in a library, an honest to god library. The room was huge, slightly more circular than any of the others, and was filled from top to bottom with rows and rows of books. The ceiling was high above them, and several ladders were scattered around so one could reach the books on the higher shelves. And that wasn’t all.

“Are these…windows?” Dipper pulled at the thick maroon drapes, trying to see what was hidden behind. He gasped for a second time, gazing at the brilliant sunset that had just begun to dip below the horizon. It was so incredibly beautiful, and he had seen the sun set a million times before. All of them failed in comparison to the one he was witnessing at the moment.

Feeling a presence beside him, Dipper turned to cautiously look over at Bill. “This is amazing,” Dipper said.

“Second-best view in the castle,” Bill hummed, his features dripping with pride.

“Where’s the first?”

“My bedroom,” he said, as if the answer should’ve been painfully obvious.

Dipper help back a snort, instead focusing his attention on the fading pinks and oranges that weaved their way across the sky. “How did I miss this place?” He had picked the lock to a couple other rooms, a skill he had developed courtesy of Stan, but why hadn’t he ever come here?

Bill shrugged, hands clasped behind his back now, eyes unwavering as they stared out at the gorgeous display of colors. “I usually keep it locked up,” he admitted, “I’m not exactly a fan of the servants digging around this place. Red used to sneak in when she was supposed to be working.”

“Why let me in here, though?” Dipper asked.

“To keep you occupied so you won’t be so insistent on bugging me.” The lord cleared his throat, looking briefly at his feet before facing Dipper. “Also,” he continued, “You seem like someone who enjoys and appreciates knowledge.”

Dipper glanced at him in surprise. Then he smiled. “Yeah,” he said with a soft laugh, “I do.”

The young Pines boy hardly moved in the next few minutes, his face practically glued to the glass as he stared out at the sunset. Even after the bright, warm colors had faded to dark blues and purples, he stayed to watch as the first stars appeared in the cool blanket of the night.

He was only pulled away by the call of his nickname (well, Bill’s nickname for him) from the other end of the room.

Bill was seated in another large and unnecessarily elaborate chair, a matching one directly across from him. A delicate looking chess board sat on a small, wooden table in the middle, just begging to be played.

“Care for a game?”

“I thought you were busy,” Dipper stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

“And I thought you were bored,” Bill countered. He lifted his eyebrows, nodding towards the checkered board. “Well?”

Dipper couldn’t argue with that. He was the one who had insisted Bill pay more attention to him. Licking his lips, he was careful to not take his eyes off of Bill as he sank into the soft cushion of the chair.

“I wasn’t exactly expecting this,” Dipper admitted, taking the first move. The pawn was so smooth between his finger pads he honestly felt like he was unworthy of holding it.

Bill took his turn quickly, not lifting his head when Dipper spoke. “And what exactly _were_ you expecting, Pine Tree?”

“Torture, some kind of weird game where you give me a head start and then send people out to kill me, I dunno,” Dipper shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Whoa, kid, who do you think I am? Stalin?”

“Who?”

“I mean, if I really wanted you to suffer that badly I would’ve slaughtered your dear sister in front of you,” Bill said, resting his elbow on the armrest and positioning his head casually in a cupped hand.

Dipper gulped, swallowing the lord’s words with as little reaction as he could. He had learned very early on that Bill fed off of his unsteady emotions.

“So then, why didn’t you?” Dipper asked, as undisturbed as he was able. He could feel the sweat along his palms as he reached out to move another one of the pure white pawns. “Kill her, that is.”

“What can I say, kid? I like you,” Bill said, sweeping his hand over his own dark pieces and quickly moving one.

Dipper huffed, unable to hold back rolling his eyes. “Yeah, sure. You met me in the forest for like a minute before I took that stupid deal of yours.”

“I have good intuition.”

Bill was smirking at him, his single eye trained on Dipper with an unreadable glint. “Ok then, what do you find so likable about me?” Dipper asked.

“You sure do ask a lot of questions,” Bill said. Dipper just glared at him.

Lifting his arms in defeat, Bill sat up in his chair. “Where do I even begin? You’re always thinking, trying to figure stuff out. Hell, I can practically see those gears in your head turning right now.” 

Dipper opened his mouth to protest, but Bill only laughed.

“That fierce determination you’ve got also grabbed my attention,” Bill continued, shutting down any attempt Dipper had to reply.” It might be charming if it weren’t so unbelievably exasperating.”

“Well, you’re no walk-in-the-park yourself,” Dipper muttered, much louder than he originally intended.

“That’s a relief,” Bill said. “I’m not really fan of walking, or parks for that matter.

Dipper was yet again caught between whether he should be irritated or amused. He couldn’t help but be a little of both.

Their game continued in a relaxed silence, the occasional quip coming from Bill, and a rare snide reply coming from Dipper. In the end, he lost miserably. Bill was just too damn good at chess.

“Don’t beat yourself up, kid,” Bill said. “You’re not bad competition, and that’s coming from the master himself!”

They chatted a little more, Dipper growing less and less wary of Bill’s motives. 

“I honestly didn’t expect you to take me seriously when I confronted you at dinner,” he admitted sheepishly, which only egged Bill’s already constant state of smugness on.

“What can I say? I admired your gumption.” Bill clasped his fingers together, stretching them until they popped.

“Did any of the others do something like that?” Dipper asked.

“Others?” Bill’s voice lost its playful touch, and Dipper became acutely aware that he was treading in dangerous water.

“U-uhm, you know, the others that…stayed with you,” Dipper said, attempting to choose his words carefully. “Like Pacifica.”

Bill was staring at him now, and not with the usual mischievous look of his. His eye was stone cold.

“One of your, erm, servants mentioned it,” Dipper stuttered. “Uh, Robbie, it was…” Man, he fucked up again. Why couldn’t he just keep his big mouth closed?

There was a staggering moment of quiet before Bill rose to his feet. “I think you should be getting back to your room about now,” he said.

Dipper gaped at the lord, but his expression didn’t change. Pressing his lips together, Dipper nodded, scrambling to his feet. He left as calmly as he could, holding his breath until he was in the hallway with the door closed tightly behind him. What had he said that had triggered the sudden coldness in Bill's tone? Was it because he had mentioned the implied 'others' that had supposedly once been in the same position Dipper was right now?

His heart was racing, but he didn’t stop moving until he was back in his chambers. Once he’d slipping inside and locked the door, Dipper collapsed onto the bed and rubbed over the goosebumps that had formed on the skin of his arms.

For like the millionth time since he'd arrived, Dipper wished Mabel was by his side.

What the hell had he gotten himself into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit happens. Bill's weird (and has spent more than his fair share of time using his magic to see the possible futures). Dipper is Dipper. Just your every day BillDip fic.


	4. Then Somebody Bends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was the Russian winter to my unspecified European army. It basically kicked my ass.

It was late at night, and Pacifica had long since fallen asleep. The fair-haired princess had been sharing Mabel’s room since they arrived nearly two weeks ago. Mabel only remembered about half of it.

Now, the elder Pines twin crept down the stairs of the family’s old shack, and pressed her ear to the thin door that separated the foyer from the living area.

If only Stan and Ford would tell her more about the whole situation, then she wouldn’t have to keep sneaking around to catch tid-bits of the hushed conversations they had. Plus, she might even be able to help rescue Dipper! He was her brother after all.

Ford had been tight-lipped about the whole ordeal though, despite her constant pleading.

Mabel huffed, positioning herself so she could hear whatever her Grunkles were talking about without her legs falling to sleep. Until one of them gave in, this would have to do.

“-too dangerous to go in alone, it would be suicide!” That was Ford, speaking firmly, probably glaring at Stan fiercely as he spoke.

“I don’t give a damn, he’s my nephew and part of the only family I’ve got! We’re getting him back!” Stan was talking now, his low voice echoing loud and clear out to where Mabel was ease-dropping.

“Stanley, listen to me-“

“No, Ford. You listen to me. I don’t care how the hell we do it, we’re getting Dipper back.”

There was a frustrated sigh from Ford, who was no doubt tugging at his gray hair to calm his nerves. “Cipher’s not someone to be trifled with. I know first-hand…”

There was a long pause before Stan spoke up. “Don’t tell me this has something to do with your adventuring days, because if my nephew was sucked up in another one of those revenge plots to get back at you, I swear-“

“We’ll get him back,” Ford said, and though he was normally in a stern mood, Mabel swore she’d never heard him sound more serious in her entire life. “I promise on my own life, we will get Dipper back.”

The voices lowered, and Mabel could’ve sworn she heard something akin to crying, but it was too soft to hear. Then there was the stamping of feet, and finally, silence.

Mabel had been about to tiptoe back upstairs when she heard the sound of quiet swearing and the rustling of paper. She didn’t move, breath caught in her throat as she waited for more words to come.

“Fucking Bill Cipher…” Ford grumbled, and Mabel’s eyes widened. Was he talking about Lord Cipher? How did he know his first name? She didn’t notice her hands were shaking until she glanced down at them. Gulping, she leaned forward and dared to peak through the keyhole.

Ford was slumped over a book at the kitchen table, one Mabel had never seen before. The only thing she could make out from that distance was the maroon binding, which was worn and ripped in various places.

“This is all my fault,” Ford mumbled, resting his head in the hand he wasn’t using to furiously scribble into the book with. “I should’ve killed you when I had the chance.”

Mabel gasped, immediately covering her mouth and crawling backwards along the wood floor. So Ford did know more about Lord Cipher than he was letting on! Heck, he hadn’t even told Stan.

The girl managed to get to her feet, stumbling up the stairs and soundlessly slipping back into her bed. She glanced at Pacifica, who was curled up in a pile of blankets in what used to be Dipper’s bed. Then, she pulled her sheets over her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

What was she supposed to do? She couldn’t even trust Grunkle Ford at this point, but she had to save Dipper somehow. Thoughts plagued her mind, and sleep eluded her. She briefly wondered if this was what her brother did on a nightly basis. At least, this seemed to be what it probably was like for him.

Rolling on her side and tucking her knees to her chest, Mabel slightly prayed to whatever god she could think of. “Please, bro-bro,” she whispered, “Please just be okay.”

~~~~~

Dipper was anxious for the entirety of the next morning. While he partly blamed himself for the uncomfortable (to say the least) situation he and Bill had been in yesterday, a bubble of resentment still managed to force its way down his throat.

Why did Bill have to be so secretive anyway? It wasn’t as though Dipper had been asking for his life story. How could you form any sort of connection with someone who won’t share any personal information whatsoever with you?

Another little voice in his brain responded almost immediately. _Why do you want to know personal things about him anyway?_

He was basically the equivalent of a demon. There was no point in trying to get to know someone like Bill.

And yet, Dipper couldn’t help wanting to. Ford always said he was too curious for his own good, but he couldn’t help it. It was practically wired into him.

Then he recalled what Stan always told him, after he’d come home with a scraped knee or a twisted ankle. Ford would scold him for being so foolish as to go out exploring by himself, but Stan never did that. He would sit Dipper down, after his other great uncle had slipped into his study, and bandage him up.

“Look, kid,” he’d say, patting his knee and looking him in the eyes. “I’m not saying you should be reckless or anything, I don’t want you getting hurt, but don’t ever stop being yourself, you hear me?”

Those fleeting moments had always stuck with Dipper, even after he became old enough to clean himself up and no longer needed Stan’s coddling. His words always lingered, though.

And for that, Dipper was grateful.

After much thought, he concluded that he should keep pushing to learn more about Bill. What would’ve Mabel wanted him to do anyway? If she were here, she’d be insisting that there was goodness in everyone, even in Bill Cipher.

Pacing around his room eventually began to bore him though, as it always had back home, and Dipper tiptoed out to explore the vast mansion when he could no longer take it.

He wandered through the halls, having a very specific location in mind: the strange study with the locked, wooden door.

The brunet found it with a surprising amount of ease, and wasted no time fiddling with the lock. He had Stan to thank for knowing how to pick it in the first place.

When he managed to yank open the door, Dipper paused to make sure no one was watching him. Despite not seeing them often, he was fully aware that there were many servants crawling about the castle grounds.

Hey, if Cipher had wanted to keep this room a secret so badly, he could’ve used magic to seal it. The lord was practically asking for it! Besides, Dipper was basically being held captive. Isn’t this what you were supposed to do as a prisoner? Snoop around and try not to get caught?

Before his guilt could outweigh his curiosity, Dipper slipped inside.

The room was old, the thick layers of dust and bountiful amount of cobwebs being an obvious sign. The books, or log journals, as Dipper quickly discovered, were worn from age just like everything else appeared to be. A candle, wax mostly melted, sat on the desk just between the globe and a peculiar, out-of-place box.

The edges of the room were lined with books shelves crammed with folders, scrolls, and even more of those journals. It was all so intriguing, much like the library, except with an extra dose of off-limits. The sense of danger sent a tingle up Dipper’s spine that he knew he couldn’t ignore.

He made his way to the desk, fingers grazing over anything he could reach. His eyes caught sight of that wooden box however, and he immediately became fiddling with the lock on it. It was almost as simple as the one that was on the door, and Dipper began to question if Bill was really as powerful as he claimed. That or this room wasn’t as big a deal as he had made it out to be.

Inside the strange box was a journal, much larger than most books normally were, and its reddish cover was torn down the center. He could make out bits of what looked like a golden hand and a ‘number 3’ written with thick, black ink, but even these features were hardly distinguishable.

Inside the journal was a different story, though. It contain page after page of magical spells, stories, and more. The paper may have been yellowed with age, but other than that it was intact.

Dipper’s eyes glistened with curiosity as he gazed at the text brimming with supernatural research. There were goblins and witches and even gnomes, which Mabel and him had actually had the misfortune of running into once after Ford told them about the red-hatted creatures.

One particular section caught his attention due to its title. “The Study of Bill Cipher,” he read aloud, skimming the entry to find detailed information about bits of Bill’s life. As he continued flipping through the book, Dipper realized that a lot of it was information on Bill, the mansion, and the people that lived within it.

“This must have been one of the others that stayed here before I came,” he murmured, running his fingers over the messy cursive. Maybe it had more information on Bill’s past! Or, a way to escape. Dipper tried to ignore the fact that escaping had come secondary when thinking about what he could use this journal for.

Suddenly, the chime of the clock echoed through the house, its sound faint to Dipper’s ears while in the back room. Still, he heard it and knew that Wendy would soon arrive at his room with lunch.

“I’ll come back later,” he whispered to himself, slamming the book closed and slipping it back inside the box. Making sure everything looked as though no one had been there, he quickly exited the room and closed the door tightly behind him.

Dipper had become skilled in maneuvering through the manor and he got back to his room with ease. He wasn’t at all surprised when he saw Wendy was still there since she usually stayed to eat with him. What did surprise him however was the fact that the redhead had paid him a visit at her master’s request.

“Bill wants to…have lunch with me?” Dipper asked, raising an eyebrow.

Wendy, who was sprawled out on his bed upside-down, head hanging off the edge and her thick hair draping over the sheets, nodded. “He wanted me to come and get you right away, said something about eating out in the garden?”

Dipper’s glanced out the large window, eyes widening at the sight of the cloudless blue sky. He hadn’t been outside in, well, what felt like forever. Ok, so it was only a few weeks at most, but for someone who had practically grown up outdoors, it was like a lifetime.

So he got himself dressed, Wendy staying perched on his bed as he complained. “I don’t understand why he couldn’t just come get me himself,” the brunet grumbled, wrestling with his bowtie, “Or why I always have to wear these stupid outfits!”

Wendy snickered, getting to her feet and standing just to the side of Dipper as he frowned at his own reflection. He finally let out a disgruntled huff and flung the tie across the room. This only made Wendy laugh more, which earned her a glare from the clearly frustrated male.

“Why do you keep laughing at me like that?” Dipper said, face flushed and lower lip stuck out in an unintentionally adorable pout. At least, that’s how Mabel always described it to him.

“You’re just so-“

“Don’t you dare call me cute!”

Wendy rolled her eyes, reaching out to turn Dipper towards her and adjust the navy blue suitcoat he wore. “I was gonna say straightforward ya nerd, at least with your emotions,” she explained, running a hand through his bangs to expose his birthmark. She pulled back, hand on her chin as she bobbed her head up and down in apparent satisfaction. “Though, you are adorable.”

Dipper continued to glare at her, though it was all in good fun and he couldn’t help a smile from passing his lips whenever they talked like this. He really was thankful for Wendy; she made him feel less homesick.

“Why do you always cover up your birthmark?” Wendy asked suddenly, jerking her chin towards where Dipper’s bangs were once again completely covering his forehead.

Had he been doing that? It was so normal to him he didn’t even notice.

“I told you, didn’t I?” Dipper said, voice lowered, “It…I just…I used to always get made fun of because of it.” The other kids used to call him a filthy magic-user. One kid in particular, that stupid son of the town’s most religious and incredibly rich family, thought it would be funny to call the witch hunters on him. Boy, he had never seen Grunkle Stan so angry before.

“I dunno man, Bill likes that sort of thing.” Wendy’s voice broke him from his thoughts, and he licked his lips nervously.

“W-wait, Bill likes _what_ sort of thing?”

“Oh, never mind,” Wendy said with a toss of her hand. She urged Dipper across the room and out the door before he could question her. “We’ve got a lunch to get you to.”

The meal actually passed without any hiccups, despite Dipper’s previous worries over the other night. Part of him did feel troubled that Bill didn’t bring it up, but at the same time, he was grateful the lord wasn’t particularly upset with him over the whole ordeal. Not to mention Dipper enjoyed being outside for once.

“So are you liking the garden?” Bill asked, taking a sip of his tea.

Dipper nodded enthusiastically. “It’s gorgeous,” he said, glancing around at all the different flowers. It had everything from lilies to roses. “Mabel would’ve loved this.”

“Your sister?” Bill peered at him with a curious look. “You sure care a lot about her, though I’m not surprised after what you did.”

Dipper looked down at his lap, lips pursed in thought. “I would do anything for her,” he said. “She’s my best friend.”

“Hah, I know the feeling.”

Dipper’s head shot up, and he stared at the lord before him. “What do you mean?”

Bill laughed, though it was laced with obvious sadness as he ran his finger along the edge of his teacup. “I had a brother, a younger one.”

“Really?” Dipper hadn’t even considered the notion that Bill had family, let alone a sibling. It only added to the growing realization that Bill wasn’t as monstrous as he made himself out to be. “Um, where is he now?”

“Dead.” Bill spoke sharply, and yet, his words weren’t as cold as they had been the night before. There was more of a sadness running through him now, Dipper noticed, as opposed to the concealed anger when he had asked the blond about his other ‘guests’ before he had arrived.

“I’m sorry, Bill,” Dipper said, his brown eyes filled with sympathy. “I can’t imagine what I would do if Mabel died. Hell, I can hardly take just being away from her this long.”

There was a long stretch of silence before Bill finally spoke again. “You miss her, don’t you?” he asked. “I still miss him, every day.”

Dipper reached out and placed his hand over Bill’s, who didn’t flinch away from the boy’s sudden attempt at comforting him. His hands were warmer than the first time they had touched way back when he had arrived at the mansion. Perhaps it was simply because Bill wasn’t wearing his gloves, or maybe Dipper just hadn’t noticed before.

“What sort of flowers were her favorite?” Bill questioned. Dipper looked at him with confusion. “Your sister, you said she liked flowers. What type did she like?”

“Oh, uh, daises,” Dipper said, his fingers starting to tingle from being in contact with Bill’s for so long. “I don’t know why, she loved them since she was little.” He pulled his hand away, the palm of it slightly damp as he rubbed it against his pants. “Did your brother have a favorite flower?”

“He always had a thing for Morning Glories,” Bill said, eyes drifting over towards a patch of flowers that had small, blue-violet petals. “I always preferred the amaryllis myself, though.” He had one of those rare, soft smiles on his face as he stared at the colorful plants, and Dipper suddenly found himself wishing he could see Bill like this more often.

Bill’s gaze suddenly flickered back to Dipper, and his features returned to their usually smug self. “What about you, Pine Tree? Do you have a favorite flower?”

Dipper ran a hand through his hair, laughing softly. “Would it be too typical for me to say roses?”

Bill stared at him for a moment before chuckling himself. “Not at all, kid,” he said. “Though I’m not shocked.”

“What do you mean by that?” Dipper retaliated with a frown. 

“Oh now don’t get all upset,” Bill commanded. He leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on the white table cloth, and used one of his long fingers to tip Dipper’s chin back up so their eyes met. “All I’m saying is that it sounds like you.”

“So now you think you know me so well?” Dipper said, his demeanor softening and voice lifting into a more teasing tone. He didn’t jerk away from Bill’s touch, though, instead rather liking the light pressure of his warm hands.

“It’s been over a week, and I’m observant.”

Dipper rolled his eyes. “And that doesn’t surprise me.”

“Well of course, you played chess with me after all.”

Dipper found himself laughing, once again realizing that he was enjoying the time he spent with Bill. “You know,” he said, fiddling with his fingers. “I actually had a really good time last night.”

“Whoa there, Pine Tree,” Bill said, holding up his hands to match his mocking tone. “You’re making it sound like I took you to bed or something.”

Dipper shot him a half-hearted glare, trying to play off the rising color in his cheeks. “I was just trying to be nice and you had to go and ruin it, didn’t you?”

“It’s so easy to embarrass you, though,” Bill insisted. “You practically set yourself up!”

“You know, I was going to suggest we play chess again today but I think I changed my mind.”

Bill raised an eyebrow at him. “You seriously wanted to get your ass handed to you again in chess?”

“Well, I suppose it doesn’t have to be chess, an-hey wait, you didn’t beat me that badly!” Dipper suddenly protested.

Bill just rolled his eyes. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

“You’re really making me reconsider this ‘spending more time with you’ idea I had in mind,” Dipper grumbled, an evident scowl on his face.

“Ok, ok, kid,” Bill said, stifling a laugh. “We can spend some more time together if that’s what you really want.”

“It is.”

Bill looked him up and down before sighing. “Let’s start with chess, then, since you obviously need to brush up on your skills.”

Dipper beamed at him, despite the pointed comment about his ‘poor’ chess skills. It wasn’t his fault Bill was so damn good at it. “Right, ok, then let’s start tonight!”

And so they did. Every day after dinner, they would play a few rounds of chess (and yes, Dipper did win some games…eventually).

It became another part of their strange routine, and that wasn’t all. Dipper soon found himself reading stories to Bill, who had taken a liking to his voice. These and other random activities here and there led the two to spend about half the day together, nearly every day of the week.

At first Dipper didn’t notice the change in Bill’s persona. But every so often, usually between a forced smirk and a snarky comment, he could see what were the faintest hints of a genuine smile.

~~~~~

“It seems Stanford and his brother are planning to sneak into Cipher’s palace.”

“ _Oh really_? And _why_ is that?”

“Their nephew, Dipper Pines, was supposedly kidnapped by that mysterious lord.”

There was a loud clattering sound as a glass was knocked off the desk. The fist sat clenched in the center of it, it’s owner leaning forward menacingly in his oversized chair.

“I thought I’d given that damn pest a good ol’ talkin’ to already! Why was he near that part of the forest?”

“Well you know that Pines family, they’re always stickin’ their noses where they don’t belong! If it wasn’t for that you woulda never acquired that spooky field log about Cipher in the first place.”

A thoughtful hum briefly filled the room, and Gideon Gleeful, who still sat with his back straight in that large chair of his, finally unclenched his fingers.

“I guess you’re right about that, Daddy,” he chuckled, pushing on the balls of his feet and sending his chair sliding backwards, just enough for him to reach down and pull an old, maroon and gold bound book from the bottom drawer of his desk. On the cover was a six-fingered, gold hand to match with a large number written in black ink.

He flipped through the tattered pages, a positively evil grin on his face. When he found the section he was looking for, Gideon paused.

His eyes skimmed the passage, fingers drumming leisurely on desk. “Says here that Cipher’s a cursed soul, doomed to live forever.”

“Are you planning what I think you are?” Gideon’s father asked, a hint of concern laced in his words.

“Immortality is a valuable thing,” Gideon replied, slamming the book closed with the same amount of force as when his fist had collided with the desk just moments prior. “Perhaps we should plan to pay this _‘Lord Cipher’_ a visit of our own.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens! See you guys later this week for some well-deserved BillDip. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	5. Unexpectedly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had way too much fun writing this chapter.

Dipper went back to the secret, locked room several times. He’d ended up ‘borrowing’ the journal and taking it back with him to his room on the third visit. He had tried to keep his curious nature subdued, but in the end his attempts all failed.

Now, whenever he wasn’t with Bill or Wendy, Dipper would curl up on his bed and flip through the pages of the intriguing book.

He’d probably learned a bit more than he should’ve about Lord Cipher, and the more he read the more Dipper realized why Bill had kept that room blocked off. Still, wouldn’t the simplest solution have been to just burn the thing? Locking it up seemed like such a hassle.

One of the first things Dipper discovered, which was definitely the most fascinating, was the fact that Bill and his servants had been around for years. The person who’d created the journals explained how, despite living within the mansion for over 4 years, no one seemed to age, including himself.

Dipper began to wonder if he had stopped aging as well, and if this supposed immortality was because of the estate or because of Bill. Either way, he couldn’t ask the lord in idle chat, less he want to give away the sneaking around he’d been doing lately.

He’d actually become really good at maneuvering through the halls undetected. Grunkle Stan would’ve been proud.

In fact, this was the fifth day in a row now that he had snuck in. Though he had been spending extra time with Bill lately, which he was enjoying much more than he’d like to admit, Dipper always made time to come. Even though the journal now resided in his chambers, there was still so much to explore within the secluded office.

Today he flipped through the scrolls that littered the shortest of the three shelves. It only had one full section of writings, the other shelves being occupied by dirty containers and odd science gadgets.

He had just settled on the material he planned to read when he heard the footsteps.

Poking his head out the door, Dipper caught sight of the pink-haired female known by the rest of the mansion’s occupants as the psychotic chef. What the hell was she doing here? Whatever it was, Dipper had to get out of there, and fast.

He quickly shoved the scroll he’d been studying back into place and slipped out the door, locking it behind himself as he always did.

“Soos?” Giffany called, from a room to the left, her sweet voice concealing an eerie undertone. “Where are you, Soos?”

Dipper had met the strange gardener, Soos, not too long ago. He and Wendy were pretty close, and he seemed like a nice guy, if a bit on the odd side.

He’d also been given numerous warnings to stay away from Giffany, who was known for her stalker-like crush on the gardener. Dipper hadn’t officially met her yet, and he didn’t exactly want to. Even Wendy was a bit wary of her, which was enough to deter him from initiating any sort of introduction.

“ _Soos_!” Her voice was louder now, and Dipper sprinted down the hall, praying she was a slow walker. His prayers weren’t answered though, and she practically jumped out of the room she was in. Luckily, she was facing opposite of where Dipper was, and the brunet had just enough time to drive into the nearby room and close the door behind him.  


Dipper held his breath, hands pressed against the door as he heard Giffany pass. Holy shit, that was close.

“You ok there, Pine Tree?”

Dipper whirled around to see none other than Bill, who was currently very smug…and very shirtless.

He felt his face light up a bright red, and pushed back into the door, hand grasping at the handle. “Sorry, sorry, I was just-“

“Hiding from Giffany?” Bill finished for him. “I don’t blame you. The woman’s terrifying, and this is coming from me no less.”

Dipper couldn’t keep a laugh from bubbling up between his lips. “Yeah, uh, she’s definitely intimidating. Or so I’ve heard.”

Bill shrugged, turning away from the Pines twin to pull a thin, white shirt from a mannequin. That’s when Dipper noticed the scars.

They covered Bill’s back from a horizontal one all the way across his lower neck to a deep gash just above the waist line of his bottoms. Dipper must’ve let out a gasp because Bill was immediately facing him again with a cold stare.

“Don’t you think it’s a bit rude to gawk at someone like that?” he said through partially clenched teeth.

“S-sorry, I just-“ Dipper rubbed his palms against the fabric at his thighs, a habit he’d picked up whenever he was antsy or nervous. “How did you get those?”

Bill’s stone cold gaze snapped away from Dipper, and the brunet instantly regretted his words. The two of them were just making progress, and here he was fucking it all up.

“I don’t see how’s that’s any of your business,” Bill muttered harshly.

Dipper dared to step closer. “It is my business though,” he insisted. “As a friend I think I have the right to worry about this kin-“

“Friend?” Bill had directed his attention to Dipper once more, and a different look flickered across his features.

Right, Bill probably still thought of him as nothing more than a commoner who had showed up to save his sister. “Well, uh, maybe not so much a friend but an acquaintance?” Dipper tried desperately to fix his mistake, but he was caught off guard by the lord’s all-too-familiar laugh. What perplexed the boy, though, was the sadness laced within it.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve had one of those,” Bill murmured.

Dipper pursed his lips, unsure of how to proceed.

He felt Bill’s prying gaze on him, as if checking to see that his words were genuine.

“Well then,” Bill finally piped up, sliding the soft, white shirt around his arms and nimbly buttoning it up. His earlier demeanor was gone and the lord had returned to his usual, confident self. “Since we’re _friends_ now,” he said, whirling around to pick up two fencing swords, “And friends do things together-“ Bill tossed one of them to Dipper, who stumbled a bit in his effort to catch it “-then how’s about we fence?”

Dipper stared dumbly at the sword(?) in his hands before lifting his gaze to look back at Bill. “I’ve never fenced in my entire life.”

Bill chuckled, running a hand through his golden hair to remove s few messy strands from his face. “You’ve wielded a sword before, haven’t you, kid? It’s the same principal. You’re just using a foil instead.” He shifted into what looked like a fencing position.

“You sure about that?” Dipper eyed the ‘foil’ in his hands before grasping the end and trying to mimic Bill’s stance.

Bill only laughed. “See? It’s not too hard, is it?” He then lunged forward and thrusted his foil at the younger Pines twin.

Dipper recoiled, poorly attempting to block Bill’s sudden blow with his own weapon.

Bill snickered, lunging again while Dipper fumbled. “C’mon, Pine Tree,” he chided, “I _know_ you can do better than that, or is your sister superior at everything?”

That struck a chord in the young adult. Why did he have to make such a light-hearted moment so intense and vexing? With a focused breath and a quick run-through of what he recalled from Grunkle Stan’s defense lessons, Dipper took his turn to thrust at Bill.

The blonde dodged his jab at the chest, just barely, which egged Dipper to keep on attacking.

“I told you this would be fun!” Bill chuckled as he continued dodging the brunet’s blows.

“For you maybe.” Dipper gritted his teeth, pausing to catch his breath. Anything involving too much physical assertion wasn’t his fortune. He then gripped the handle tighter, confronting Bill with a new determination.

“Don’t tell me you’re seriously not enjoying this!” Bill said as their foils clashed with a sharp, scraping sound.

“I’m not!” Dipper insisted, but he was smiling and he knew it.

The pair continued sparring, their feet patting back and forth as they moved about. Dipper discovered he wasn’t actually too bad at fencing, but still, Bill was better and he obviously practiced. It didn’t take long for the first signs of fatigue to hit the Pines twin, and his opponent took full advantage of this.

Dipper felt the foil suddenly leave from between his fingers, and Bill tap his chest with his own weapon. “I win.”

The brunet frowned, back pressed firmly against the wall. “Of course you do, you win at everything.”

Bill chuckled, lowering his foil and inching closer. “As flattered as I am by that lovely comment of yours, I’m used to a little more bite from my Pine Tree.”

“ _Your_ Pine Tree?” Dipper asked, eyebrows raised and cheeks dusted a slight pink.

“Until you can at least beat me in chess that is, then I’ll reconsider,” Bill said. He now had Dipper practically pinned to the wall. “Maybe.”

“You and I both know I came of my own will.” Dipper tossed his foil aside, rubbing at the tense muscles in his hand. “So no, I don’t actually belong to you.”

“Is that so?” Bill was incredibly close, and Dipper could feel the other’s breath on his cheek as he spoke.

He nodded in response, crossing his arms over his chest. “I know how disappointed you must be, Cipher.”

“I think I’ll survive,” the blond waved a hand, a few unintentional sparks of magic flying from his fingertips. “You’ll have to do more than this to prove to me that I can let you off your leash.”

Instead of another snappy comment, Dipper simply shoved Bill forward. The pair crashed to the ground, Dipper now having his turn to pin an amused Bill to the floor. “You shouldn’t let your guard down like that,” Dipper stated with a haughty smile.

“Now, now,” Bill tutted, “That’s not fair. You were distracting me with those alluring eyes of yours.”

“Well, that’s your own damn fault, now isn’t it?” Dipper replied.

Bill smirked, lifting his free hand and running his fingers along Dipper’s jawline. The action caused him to shiver, but he held his ground, shooting a stubborn glare at the man below him.

“I’m being serious, though, kid,” Bill cooed, pressing his fingers pads softly into the younger man’s pale skin, “You have the most beautiful eyes.”

Dipper couldn’t help a blush from creeping onto his face, and he hastily turned his head so he could stare at something, anything, instead of Bill Cipher.

He realized his mistake a second too late when Bill wiggled his other arm free from Dipper’s grasp and used his newfound advantage to flip them. Dipper’s head smacked against the floor with a dull ‘thump’ and now he was staring up into a familiar smirk and a singular, gold eye.

“You’re awfully persistent, Pine Tree,” Bill said, a smug grin playing on his lips, “But alas, you’re still no match for me.”

“You cheated, though,” Dipper insisted, still flustered from Bill’s engaging comments, despite knowing now that they were all an act. He was _straddling_ him, for crying out loud, who wouldn’t be?

“Well, that’s your own damn fault, now isn’t it?” Bill pressed Dipper’s wrists down so they were parallel with his head, still smiling wildly. “Your words, not mine.” 

“Fine, fine, you win,” Dipper huffed. “Just let me up already!”

Bill hummed, resting even more weight on Dipper as he leaned closer. His hair had fallen in his face yet again, hanging down and nearly brushing Dipper’s cheek. The boy felt the sudden urge of wanting to reach out and touch it, wondering if it was as soft as it looked. While he was at it, he also wanted to peel away that bandage on Bill’s eye to reveal the rest of the out-of-place, blue pattern that continued down his cheek.

“I could kill you right now,” Bill stated suddenly, breaking the wistful trance Dipper had been swept up in. He blinked at Bill, not trusting himself to speak. He should’ve been terrified, and yes, his heart was beating much faster than it normally did. That wasn’t because of Bill’s most recent threat, though.

“I know,” Dipper finally spoke, his voice low and quiet in the otherwise empty room.

“Aren’t you afraid?” Bill asked.

“You don’t scare me anymore.”

“Anymore? You sure about that, kid?” With each sentence, Bill had been leaning closer and closer. He laughed silently, the only indication he’d even done so was the warm breath that tickled Dipper’s nose. “Your heart is racing.”

“That’s not from fear,” Dipper answered, bluntly. Their voices had fallen to barely above a whisper, and Dipper found his gaze flickering to Bill’s lips more and more.

“Oh really?” Bill murmured, though it lacked his usual sarcastic tone.

“I’m not afraid of you, Bill,” Dipper said, the confidence in his voice as genuine as it could be. There was a long silence, and he held his breath, taking in every detail of the blond’s face.

“You should be.”

Bill finally stood up, brushing himself off before holding a hand out for Dipper to take.

Bill’s strength still surprised him and hardly any effort was needed to get Dipper to his feet. And yes, their hands did perhaps linger a bit longer than necessary. Bill was the one to eventually pull away, picking up the long since discarded foils.

“We should do that again some time,” Bill said, his back now facing Dipper as he moved to put the rest of his fencing equipment away.

“Y-yeah, I had fun,” Dipper said, taking it as his cue to leave. He shot Bill a small smile, even though he knew the lord couldn’t see him.

It wasn’t until after he was back in the hallway that Dipper wondered if Bill’s invitation had actually been about fencing or not.

~~~~~

“I hear the Pines family is planning on rescuing Dipper,” Wendy said, placing the silver tea tray on the lord’s end table.

“I’m not surprised.” Bill didn’t glance up from where he lay propped on his pillow, legs crossed and book in hand. When he didn’t hear the door closing to mark the redhead’s departure, he finally pressed a bookmark between the pages and let out a heavy sigh. “What?”

Wendy’s hands were on her hips, and her face held the same determination he’d grown used to seeing on Dipper’s face. “I wanna know what you’re planning on doing about it.”

The blond adjusted his eye bandage, trying to (and successfully) look at her with disinterest. “Whatever made you think that I’d be doing anything to prevent him and his little family from dropping by to pay me a visit?”

“This is different and you know it, Cipher.” Wendy’s stare was fierce, something Bill had come to almost admire in all the years they’d spent together now. “You’re in love with him.”

Bill practically threw his book down onto the sheets. “I hardly think this is an appropriate topic to discuss with your master,” he hissed. There was a tense pause before he continued, now on his feet in front of her. “And I’m not _in love_. I hardly even like the kid!”

“Is that why you spend so much time with him?” Wendy countered.

“He’s a needy little sack of flesh, that’s not my fault. I got sick of him nagging me because he was lonely.”

“You could’ve put him in a tower like you did to Pacifica,” she suggested.

Bill let out a discontented huff. “The circumstances were completely different, Red.”

“Oh, c’mon!” Wendy flung her hands up in frustration. “Everyone can tell you’ve got it bad! Even Robbie said something to me about it.”

“Maybe you just think you know me better than you actually do.” Bill’s voice was cold and callous as he spoke.

“We _do_ know you, Bill. It’s been over a century, we’ve picked up on a few things,” Wendy said. She bit her lip, placing a hand on his shoulder. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself just because of what happened with Stanf-“

“Don’t.”

Any other words were trapped in his throat, his voice sharp and emotionless. Fuck, why did she always bring him up? Why did she always have to do this to him?

Bill dropped onto his bed once more, his elbows resting on his knees and his fingers gripping at the hair on his downturned head. “Just…just go.”

There was a long silence before he heard the door creak open. It didn’t close all the way just yet, though.

“Think about it,” Wendy said before leaving, her footsteps echoing down the hall.

Bill clutched at his bandaged eye, fingers trailing on the blue of his cheek and the soft fabric that hid away his shameful past. He took it off at night, always, whenever he was secluded in his room without the chance of any disturbances. The lord wondered, as he often did, if he would ever see out of it again.

What worried him, though, was that Dipper Pines was starting to give him the hope that he just might.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This, my friends, is called self-indulgence and is not in fact frowned upon by most fanfic writers.


	6. Just a Little Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my first time not rigorously editing a chapter before I post it! Way to go me!

Gideon heard the door to his office creak open and the familiar heavy steps of his father slip inside.

“Did you bring me good news, old man?” He was leaning against the edge of his desk, writing notes for next week’s sermon on the evils of demonic deals, if one was to ever come across a demonic creature that is. This town was such a sucker for that type of thing.

Bud wiped the sweat from his forehead, stretching a thick arm out to hand his son a neatly rolled scroll of paper.

Gideon tore it from his hand and the older man’s breath hitched as it left a thin paper cut along his palm. “An invitation?” Gideon asked, not expecting any sort of answer out of his father.

He unrolled the parchment, examining it with a concentrated gaze.

“So Cipher’s hosting a party?” Gideon stared at the fancy writing, pale eyebrows raised. “Ain’t it mighty convenient for us that he’s welcoming anyone who’s willing to attend…”

He dropped the invite on the desk before pushing off of the wooden surface and clapping his hands. “Daddy, dust off my party clothes. I’ve got myself a ball to go to.”

~~~~~

“A _what?_ ”

“A _ball,_ Pine Tree,” Bill said, stretching out the syllables much to Dipper’s distaste.

“No, I mean, yes, I got that, but um, why?”

“I _am_ a lord, is there something wrong with hosting a party for the hell of it?” He shot a pointed stare at the perplexed male that stood by his side.

Dipper scrunched his lips and nose together, which he’d really tried getting out of the habit of doing since everyone around him insisted it was more adorable than anything. “Well, have you had one before?”

Bill grinned at him with that wild smile of his. “Nope, but there’s a first time for everything!”

They were in the ballroom, shockingly enough, and a handful of servants were rushing around, prepping for Bill’s sudden party. Robbie was washing the windows, Dipper noticed, and Soos was helping Wendy hang up decorations.

“I figured your sister could come, you said she always wanted to go to a fancy ball if I remember correctly.” Bill cleared his throat, not quite meeting Dipper’s eyes. “I know you’ve been missing her and all…”

“Are you…throwing this for me?” Dipper asked, attempting to hide his smile.

“W-what? For you? Of course not!” Bill cried, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just don’t want you getting all bored and trying to escape or something.”

“Ah, of course.” Dipper was grinning now. Though he’d seen the light dust of pink that was just barely noticeable on Cipher’s cheeks, he said nothing.

“It’ll be fun, kid,” Bill said. “There’ll be dancing and food, everyone loves food, and-“

“Wait, you’re not gonna make me dance, right?” Dipper asked abruptly, a tinge of panic in his voice.

Bill snorted, shooting the boy a look that so perfectly communicated ‘are you fucking serious?’ that it almost pained Dipper to be at the receiving end of it. “Why wouldn’t I? That’s part of the fun.”

Dipper groaned, tugging at his hair. “Dancing is _not_ my idea of fun.”

“But you’ll be dancing with _me_ , and doing things with me is always fun!” Bill grinned confidently.

“I wouldn’t exactly use the word fun…”

Bill suddenly snaked an arm around Dipper’s waist and used the other to grab the brunet’s hand. “C’mon, just one dance?” He tugged Dipper along, twirling them in a circle. “I won’t let you go ‘till you say yes.”

Dipper inhaled sharply, trying to pull back, but the glimmer in Bill’s eye made him pause. He grumbled to himself, pouting as he looked down at his feet. He felt a sudden surge of guilt run through him as he thought about the dusty journal hidden under his mattress. “Fine, but don’t think I’ve gotten soft, Cipher.”

Bill released his hold, poking Dipper’s nose. “Hate to break it to you, Pine Tree, but you’ve always been soft.”

“I have not!”

“Yes, yes you have.”

“Children, please.” Wendy strolled over to them, reaching out to pinch Dipper’s cheek. “There’s nothing wrong with being a softie, Dipper.”

Dipper swatted her hand away, rubbing at the abused patch of skin. “Don’t do that, it’s condescending.” Both Bill and Wendy just laughed at him.

“Not my fault Red knows what’s she’s talking about,” Bill said, beaming arrogantly at Dipper.

“It’s true,” Wendy added with a nod, “Don’t get me wrong though, Bill can be all mouth and no trousers too.”

Dipper burst into a fit of laughter at the positively pissed look Bill was shooting at Wendy.

“Oh just get back to work already,” Bill snapped, grabbing Dipper by the wrist and dragging him away. “Pine Tree and I have better things to do than monitor your sorry asses.”

Before Dipper could protest, he was whisked through the ballroom and out one of the back doors of the mansion into the gardens. Bill didn’t stop there though. Instead he pushed through the gate and continued into the thick forest.

“Hey, uh, Bill? Where are we going exactly?” Dipper finally asked, once they were a good ways into the woods. It dawned on him that this was the first time he’d left the estate since he’d arrived, and it was with the man that had been holding him hostage in the first place.

“Eager to get back to your room already? I thought you’d enjoy being outside for a change.” Bill didn’t look back at him, but he did eventually drop the brunet’s wrist. He continued his long strides just a few paces ahead of Dipper. “You’ll see when we get there.”

 _I could run if I really wanted to,_ Dipper caught himself thinking. Bill had magic, though. He still wasn’t exactly sure what his powers consisted of. Whether the lord had the ability to stop Dipper from escaping if he tried or not didn’t matter. Dipper wasn’t planning on going anywhere, at least, not at the moment.

Suddenly, Bill jerked to a stop, and Dipper tripped over his feet trying not to collide with the blond. “We’re here!” Bill said, turning to face Dipper with his hands on his hips and a wide grin on his face. He was dressed down today, something he’d been doing quite often as of lately, in simple trousers and a black tunic that was practically identical to Dipper’s navy one.

Bill nudged Dipper’s arm, urging him forward into a small clearing bathed in sun. It was warm and he could’ve sworn the air was actually sparkling. There was a small stream running along the edge of the little glade, the rest covered in the softest looking grass Dipper had ever laid his eyes upon.

“It’s beautiful,” Dipper said, drifting into the secluded inlet in awe. “You always show me the most incredible things.” He thought back to the first time he’d seen the library and later, the flower garden.

“What can I say? I love to see that look on your face.” Dipper could feel Bill’s presence behind him, and a small step backwards would have his back pressed into the other’s chest.

He turned around so he was opposite Bill again. “You’re right, I haven’t been outside in forever,” Dipper murmured, gazing up at the soft blue of the sky and the rich green of the grass.

“I told you that you could go to the gardens whenever you wanted.” The genuine concern in Bill’s voice no longer shocked Dipper, as he was hearing it more and more these days.

“This is different,” Dipper insisted, gesturing to the clearing before them. “This is…this is the kind of place I would’ve found for myself back at home.” There was that tinge of homesickness that struck him every time he thought of his family.

Bill seemed to catch on and took it upon himself to pull Dipper out of those thoughts. “Here, sit.” He waved his gloved hand and a sheet popped into existence, immediately laying itself on the ground for the pair to sit upon.

Dipper obliged, though he scrutinized the material once he was seated. “I still don’t have any idea how your magic works,” he said, crossing his legs to make himself more comfortable.

“I can conjure whatever trivial things I please,” Bill explained with a chuckle. To prove his point he twisted his wrist in another odd yet fluid motion, causing a handful of what looked to be animal teeth to appear in the palm of his hand.

Dipper stifled at the sight of the white molars, torn between finding it morbidly funny or just plain disgusting.

Bill relished Dipper’s reaction as he waved his hand again to make the teeth disappear. “See? Not so hard.”

Dipper leaned forward to listen with interest. “What about bigger things? Like, say, a sword?”

“Humans aren’t actually capable of conjuring anything much larger than an apple,” Bill admitted, which surprised the brunet that sat beside him. The more he considered it though, the more it seemed to make a reasonable amount of sense. Even the blanket they were sitting on could easily be bunched up into a ball no larger than an average sized fruit.

“Some of us are powerful enough to create strong illusions, though, among other types of mind tricks,” Bill continued. He raised his arm again, seeming to enjoy this demonstration of his magical abilities. This time, a cloud of dark, sparkling magic morphed into a black horse. The creature reared its head, and Dipper pulled back in surprise. It looked so real! And just like the ones that those black clad knights that had surrounded Mabel and Pacifica way back when…

“Your knights were never real.” Dipper gaped at Bill in sudden realization. “The whole thing was just a trick, wasn’t it?”

The horse immediately vanished, and Bill was smirking. “It’s called an illusion, kid. We just talked about it.” He winked, or at least, as best as he could with only one eye, lifting a finger to his lip. "On a good day, I can see the future." He then stretched out on the thin blanket so he was lounging on his back. 

Dipper wanted to be mad, and a part of him was. This whole thing could’ve been avoided! Why wasn’t he furious about this?

The boy fell onto his back as well, arms crossed over his chest as he let out an indignant huff. His emotions were betraying him yet again, and he felt nothing but a building giddiness in his stomach.

He gazed up at the sky, which was already beginning to darker with a mix of pinks and oranges, and sighed. It was no secret that he had become fond of Bill, and from what he heard from the servants, Bill rather appreciated having Dipper around. That didn’t necessarily mean anything, not at all. Bill was lonely and his path had just so happened to cross with Dipper’s. Nothing else to it.

As he entertained his thoughts, Dipper could feel Bill’s gaze on him. He turned to meet the golden eye he had grown so familiar with, the blades of grass tickling his cheek. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Your forehead.” Bill jutted his chin slightly in Dipper’s direction, eye flicking up to his bangs before meeting the brunet’s gaze again. “Is that a birthmark or something?”

Dipper’s hands immediately flew to his face in defense, a natural reaction after years of being teased by the other village kids. “It’s nothing.”

Bill shifted towards him, his cheek resting against his arm to keep his head propped up. “Ok, now you gotta show me.”

Dipper looked away, biting his lip.

“I swear I won’t laugh,” Bill begged, nudging Dipper while still sporting that shit-eating smile of his.

“Yeah, right,” Dipper scoffed, but twisted to face Bill again anyway. He tentatively raised his hand to his forehead and lifted his brown locks out of the way.

Bill stared at him for a minute. He leaned towards Dipper with a newfound interest, reaching out to trace his fingers along the odd birthmark. The touch sent a shiver up Dipper’s spine.

When Bill pulled away, he was smirking. “Cute,” he said, sitting up and resting his weight on his hands to keep his torso upright. “That’s how you got your name, I’m assuming. It really does suit you, though.”

Dipper couldn’t quell his blush as he sat up as well. “Mabel was the actually the one who starting calling me Dipper when we were little. It just kinda stuck, I guess.”

“Well I, for one, quite like your name,” Bill said.

Dipper couldn’t help but smile, although just a bit. “You’re being incredibly nice today,” he said. His eyes immediately narrowed after he voiced his observation. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch, I just felt like being extra super nice to you today.” Bill wasn’t looking at him as he talked, which Dipper was thankful for. It seemed whenever Bill was extra super nice, Dipper was extra super embarrassed.

Still, he was rather fond of seeing Bill like this. The way his face lit up with a soft mirth was contagious.

“Cipher, sir!”

Dipper tore his gaze from Bill, only now recognizing that he had been practically ogling the lord. He caught sight of a familiar, slim figure approaching them with an urgent gait.

“Robbie?” Dipper got to his feet, quickly followed by Cipher.

“What is it, Lover Boy?” Bill asked, snapping his fingers. Dipper jumped as the blanket they had been seated on disappeared right out from under their feet.

“Giffany found out that you invited the whole town of Gravity Falls to a party...that _she_ has to cook for.” Robbie said, pausing to catch his breath. “Long story short, she’s not happy.”

Bill let out a frustrated whine, one akin to that of a child who had just been told he had to come inside. “Fine, we’re coming.”

“You’d better hurry.” Robbie’s gaze briefly settled on Dipper, sending the boy an unreadable look before he rushed off.

“Well, it seems our little excursion has been cut short.”

Dipper glanced back at Bill, who was dusting off his top in a leisurely manner. Once he seemed satisfied he held out a hand in the brunet’s direction. “Shall we, your highness?”

“Only if you think you can keep up with a skilled royal like myself,” Dipper joked back, playfully knocking his hand away. They both laughed, but despite how calmly he had brushed Bill’s gesture off, Dipper caught himself blushing the whole way back.

~~~~~

“Mabel, you really didn’t have to make me a dress,” Pacifica said, bouncing lightly where she sat on the girl’s bed.

“Nonsense!” Mabel waved a hand before returning to her stitch work of the silky, lavender cloth. “I love sewing, and this is a fancy smancy ball we’re going to after all. We’ve gotta look the part!”

The blonde leaned back on her palms. “You say that like you’ve never been to one.”

“I haven’t,” Mabel said. “Well, Gideon did have a party at his mansion once, but there was no way I was going to that.”

The two girls sat behind closed doors in Mabel’s (and what used to be Dipper’s) room. A lovely pink dress was already laid out on the second bed, and the violet one that the Pines girl was almost finished with rested in her lap. Pacifica had to admit, she really knew her way around a needle and thread.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you, what exactly happened between your family and Gideon?” Pacifica examined her nails, speaking as casually as she could despite being dreadfully fascinated in the answer.

Mabel’s lips curved into a pout as she continued hemming the embellished gown. “He tried to court me a while back, but I wasn’t really interested. He’s super influential over the town though and he starting threatening both Dipper and I alike.” She shivered slightly, shaking her head. “Ford eventually did something to get him off our backs, but I have no idea what he bribed the creep with.”

Pacifica looked almost shocked at Mabel’s explanation, but she kept her mouth clamped shut. It was obviously a touchy subject.

Suddenly Mabel jumped to her feet, holding up the dress in front of Pacifica and waving it gently. “Ta-da! How does it look?”

“Whoa.” Pacifica’s jaw dropped as she stared at the handmade gown before her. Even compared to the royal seamstresses she had back when she still lived with her parents, she hadn’t seen something this beautiful. “It looks amazing!”

Mabel laughed, wiping her arm across her forehead. “It better be, because we have to be ready soon. The invitation said a carriage will arrive in an hour to pick us up.”

“Are you sure this is safe? I’m surprised you’re not more upset that Cipher’s inviting you to a ball after he kidnapped your brother.” Pacifica’s pale brow was creased with worry as she spoke.

“I honestly don’t know,” Mabel admitted with a sigh. She glanced at the princess with a weak smile. “I might get a chance to see him though, and Cipher obviously knows that, right? Maybe Dipper persuaded him to do this?”

“I highly doubt that,” Pacifica scoffed.

“My brother’s tougher than he looks,” Mabel stated, firmly. “I’m sure he’s a got a plan by now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dammit Robbie, they were having a moment.


	7. Small to Say the Least

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the song Dipper and Bill dance to: [x](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leXj_4YC88E)
> 
> I mean, you all probably guessed what it is already, but ya know.

Dipper frowned at his reflection in the mirror, continuing the futile attempts at flattening his messy hair. “Wendy, are you sure there’s nothing you can do about my hair?” It was the night of Bill’s sudden and astoundingly well-planned ball, and the brunet was thankful more than ever that he had Wendy to help him get ready.

The redhead ran a hand through his brown locks, doing absolutely nothing to suppress the frizz.

“Dude, you look fine.”

“Are you sure?”

Wendy shot him a funny look. “Of course, why are you so concerned about your appearance all of a sudden?”

“Well, you know,” Dipper mumbled, rubbing his palms against his tight-fitting, golden slacks. “A bunch of people are gonna be there, and Bill wants me to dance with him and I-“ He trailed off when he caught Wendy grinning impishly at him. “Would you cut that out? It’s not like that.”

Wendy held up her hands in mock defense. “I didn’t say a word.”

“It was implied.” Dipper draped his tie around his neck before turning back to face her. “Now would you please?” After many failed efforts to tie his own tie on several different occasions, Wendy had given up and insisted on simply doing it herself.

She chuckled, running her hand along the black fabric before tying it nicely. “You really do look good in yellow,” she said, picking a few specks off Dipper’s shoulder. “This is my best job yet.”

Dipper blushed at the compliment. “Hey, you don’t look so bad yourself. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before.”

It wasn’t a lie, either. Wendy looked absolutely spectacular in her thin, turquoise gown, hair cascading down her back and shimmering pearls adorning her neck. Dipper, on the other hand, felt out of character in the golden suit he wore.

“Aw, shaddup,” Wendy snickered, nudging Dipper in the stomach. “Let’s get going, the ball’s already started.”

Wendy linked her arm with his and the pair left his room in a timely fashion. “Where’s Bill?” Dipper questioned once they stood just outside the ballroom.

“He planned on being fashionably late,” Wendy said with a wink. “You know him.”

Dipper rolled his eyes. “Of course. It gives me a chance to talk to Mabel, at least.”

“Speaking of this elusive twin of yours, she just arrived. Miss Priss is with her, too.”

“Pacifica?” Dipper had completely forgotten about her during everything that had happened. At least she seemed to have kept his sister company while he was gone. “Where are they?” He was struggling to not sound too excited, but it was becoming rather difficult knowing Mabel was literally in the same building he was and that he hadn’t seen her yet.

“Soos saw them come in a few minutes ago, just after a group of teenagers.” Wendy leaned against the wall to adjust her heels with an irritated huff. “There are a lot of people here actually, so you’d better start looking. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

Dipper nodded, not thinking twice about leaving the redhead behind.

He spent the next five minutes pushing his way through the ballroom, earning some surprised looks from people who recognized him, but otherwise going unnoticed. Just when he was sure he’d never find Mabel, he heard a familiar voice from behind him.

“Dipper?”

He whirled around to see his twin, all decked out in a gown she no doubt made herself, her cheeks damp.

Dipper’s own eyes pricked with tears as he pushed through the last throngs of people that separated him from his sister and pulled her into a tight hug.

They embraced, Mabel sniffling and Dipper patting her back soothingly. He had never been happier to see anyone in his entire life.

“I missed you so much,” she said, finally loosening her grip. “I’m so glad you’re safe. Did Cipher do anything to you? Did he hurt you at all because I swea-“

“Mabel, I’m fine! I promise.”

“Really?” Mabel sniffed, rubbing at her eyes in frustration. “Oh fooey, I’m gonna look like a mess! And the ball’s just begun!” She lightly punched Dipper’s arm, biting her lip. “That’s what you get for making me so worried.”

Dipper couldn’t resist pulling her into another hug, laughing with ease. “It’ll be fine, you always look great.” He caught sight of Pacifica just a few feet behind Mabel, and gave her a small smile. Much to his surprise, she actually returned it.

“You look pretty dapper yourself,” Mabel remarked, poking his chest. “I wouldn’t have pegged you for the kinda guy who would wear gold, but it really looks good on you.”

“Hah, well, Wendy actually picked it out for me,” Dipper admitted, scratching the back of his neck.

“Wendy?”

“Oh! Of course,” Dipper laughed, hitting his head, “You haven’t met Wendy yet! She’s great, and Soos too! You’ll have to visit again and you can meet them. Or, you know what, I could probably introduce you guys now!”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second, Dipper,” Mabel interjected. “You’re making it sound like you’re actually gonna stay here.”

Dipper’s brows furrowed together. “Well yeah, I can’t just leave. Bill and I had a deal.”

“But that’s why we’re here,” Mabel urged, gesturing nonchalantly towards Pacifica, “To get you out! Isn’t that what you’ve been planning?”

Dipper opened his mouth, but was at a loss of words. Mabel’s logic was sound; it would be exactly like him to plot some daring escape. In fact, that’s what his original plan was. He hadn’t accounted for finding the strange journal or actually starting to not mind being around Bill, among other…things.

“Don’t you want to be with me and Stan and Ford?” Mabel asked, her voice sad.

“What? Yes, of course! That’s not why I don’t wanna leave.”

“So you really do want to stay here?” Mabel cried, drawing the attention of a few other guests who were close enough to hear their discussion. “You want to stay with the man who kidnapped you?”

“Bill’s really not that-“

Dipper was interrupted by an arm around his shoulder and a breathy laugh. “I heard someone talking about me?”

“Geez, Bill, why do you always have to interrupt me?” Dipper said with a sigh. Bill only laughed harder.

“You!” Mabel shouted, scowling at the golden haired man. “Get your hands off my brother you crazy sorcerer guy!” She made a grab for Dipper’s arm, no doubt trying to pull him behind her for protection. Dipper stopped her before she did, though.

“Mabel, wait, please,” Dipper said, gripping her arm. “He’s hasn’t done anything bad to me.”

“Did you not hear what I just said? He _kidnapped_ you.” Mabel blinked, looking between a smirking Bill and her twin.

“I came of my own will,” Dipper insisted.

“He’s just brainwashed you to think that! That’s something he can do, right?” She glanced back at Pacifica, pleading with the blonde to lend a hand. Instead, she only shrugged. Some help she was.

“Even if he could, he wouldn’t do that to me,” Dipper snapped, not realizing the weight of his own words until after they’d left his mouth. Both Pacifica and Mabel were staring at him with equally speechless looks and from the corner of his eye he could see that even Bill was a bit stunned himself.

It took a moment before Bill finally cleared his throat, breaking the awkward silence. “As much as I’m flattered at how adamantly you’re defending me, Pine Tree, I believe it’s about time we had that dance.” He took Dipper by the hand, whose face was now completely flushed, and pulled him away from his sister and Pacifica.

“H-hey, hold on!” Mabel protested, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. Dipper mouthed an ‘I’ll explain later’ and then he and Bill were lost in the crowd.

“Bill!” Dipper scolded as the man pulled him towards the center of the ballroom. He had hardly had any time with Mabel and Bill was already whisking him off again.

“You two can talk later, my word. Have her over for tea next week if that’s really what you want,” Bill said. Then he paused, turning around so he and Dipper were facing each other. The lively music that had been filling the room shifted to something much slower, and it was as if everyone sensed the lord’s motives at once as they parted to make room for them.

Bill gently took hold of Dipper’s hand, positioning it on his own shoulder before grasping Dipper’s waist. Dipper felt the fingers of their other hands entwine and suddenly he was being swept up into a dance.

It was so warm being this close to Bill, as he was literally pressed chest to chest with the taller man. Glancing at his devilish grin, Dipper felt his heart begin to race.

Oh fuck, everyone was staring at them. He even caught Mabel and Pacifica watching him in the growing crowd of people. Dipper’s face heated up and he stumbled a bit as they moved. Bill instantly tightened his grip on Dipper’s waist and squeezed his hand in reassurance.

“Pretend they’re not here,” Bill whispered into Dipper’s ear. “It’s just you and me.” His voice was soothing, and all of the boy’s worries seemed to fall away when he looked into Bill’s golden eye.

They danced around the ballroom, moving in a slow circle in time with the gentle melody.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in blue before,” Dipper murmured, looking him up and down. Bill looked fantastic in his suit, the blue a nice contrast to his tanned skin and the trousers hugging him very nicely, even from the awkward angle the brunet was looking at them.

“Well, you’ve never worn gold,” Bill countered, picking up his pace a bit more. Through it all, he didn’t pull away in the slightest. “It really suits you, kid.”

Dipper blinked. “Was that a pun?”

“Maybe.”

Suddenly Dipper’s world spun as Bill twirled him. All of Bill’s moves were so fluid compared to Dipper’s stiff ones, though he soon found himself relaxing as their waltz went on.

“I was being serious about before,” Bill said, picking up on his earlier comment after a minute of their dancing being accompanied by nothing but the music. “You look stunning in gold.”

Boy, was Dipper red. He desperately rattled his brain for something to say in response, whether it was a simple ‘thanks’ or a snarky reply, but nothing seemed to formulate into words.

Bill seemed to relish in his struggling and took the opportune moment to catch the boy off-guard. He nudged one of Dipper’s feet out from under him enough so he could lean him into a low dip.

Dipper felt his breath hitch, eyes wide as Bill’s forehead pressed against his. Nearly all of his weight was being supported by Bill now, and yet he felt no fear of falling.

As the blond smirked down at him, Dipper bit his lip. A million thoughts swirled through his head and his emotions were going wild.

And just like that, the song ended and Bill was pulling him back up and letting him go.

He suddenly became aware of the other party guests again, all of whom were staring intently at Dipper.

“I-I, uh, I’m gonna go…find Wendy…” Dipper stuttered, ashamed that he was still fumbling to verbalize any coherent words. He rushed off, rubbing his sweaty palms as he went.

~~~~~

“Why Mabel Pines, what a surprise!”

Mabel’s eyes widened, stopping mid-sentence in her story about the time Grunkle Stan got roped into smuggling a bunch of working dogs out of their village. She almost dropped her drink as she swayed forward, and she would’ve fallen if Pacifica hadn’t been there to steady her. When she was finally over her initial shock, the older Pines twin whirled around to face the owner of that all too familiar voice.

“Gideon,” she seethed, hands firmly on her hips as she stared him down. Although he had grown, he was still a few inches shy of her height. “What are you doing here?”

Gideon placed a hand to his chest in mock offense. “Why I’m simply enjoying the party! Though, I must say, I was quite curious about the mysterious host of this event. Lord Cipher’s a bit of a recluse, so I’ve heard.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Mabel said between clenched teeth. She had been having such a nice time tonight, especially now that she knew Dipper was alive and (seemingly) well. But of course, Gideon just had to show up to spoil the fun.

Gideon rubbed his chin, regarding Pacifica for what seemed to be the first time. “And who is this lovely lady?”

“No one interested in you,” Pacifica retorted quickly, and Mabel was suddenly reminded of the girl’s royal status, or at least, whatever was left of it.

Gideon hummed, wetting his lips with a swipe of his tongue. “And you’re certain neither of you know Cipher?”

Mabel help her ground, stare never breaking. “Positive.”

“Is that so?” Gideon asked, his tone showing no signs of him actually wanting an answer from the two girls. “Because I just saw what looked to be _your_ brother-“ he pointed at Mabel with an accusing finger “-enjoying a rather, shall we say, intimate looking dance with the lord himself. I wasn’t aware the two were so closely acquainted.”

“We weren’t either,” Pacifica muttered under her breath, earning her an elbow to the stomach from Mabel.

“Why are you really here, Gideon?” Mabel questioned, her fists clenching and unclenching at her sides.

Gideon leaned in closer so they were nose-to-nose, his smirk ferociously showing off his pearly white teeth. “I just came to collect the rest of Stanford’s work, that’s all.”

“Huh?” Mabel’s eyebrows dropped in confusion, caught off guard by Gideon’s reply. “Grunkle Ford’s work?”

“Don’t play dumb, Pines,” he said, glaring at her, “You’d have to be a fool not to know about Stanford’s journals.”

The journals? How on earth did Gideon Gleeful of all people know about those? And since when were there more than one?

“That tired old man sold me one of ‘em a few years back, don’t you remember?” Gideon pressed closer, much to Mabel’s distaste. “I wouldn’t have stopped trying to court a precious peach like you otherwise.”

“Why don’t you just scram you little creep?” Pacifica butted in, pushing her way in front of Mabel and crossing her arms over her chest.

Gideon narrowed his eyes, gaze shifting between them before backing away.

“Ladies,” he said with a shallow bow, and then he was gone.

Although Pacifica seemed relieved that Gideon had left, Mabel was far from it. If Grunkle Ford had had two journals, could he have made a third one? And if so, where exactly had it gone?

~~~~~

Dipper spent the rest of the evening avoiding Bill, whether he was goofing around with Wendy and Soos or simply catching up with his sister, he didn’t mind as long as he wasn’t being distracted by a certain dazzling lord.

Both Wendy and Soos seemed to hit it off really well with Mabel, and even Pacifica appeared to enjoy their company more as the evening went on. Dipper was just thankful his twin didn’t bring up the whole ‘escape’ thing. Even when it was time for the ball to end, she was unusually calm.

“So you’re really not coming with us?” she asked when the carriage pulled up to take them home. Her eyes pleaded with Dipper, something he often gave into, but this time Dipper shook his head.

“I can’t, Mabel,” he said, looking down at his feet, “I think I might…” He trailed off, gulping down the rest of his thoughts in fear of his sister judging him. He wasn’t even sure if these feelings he was having were real or just a result of the weird circumstances.

Mabel held onto his arm, nodding. “I know.” She then leaned in to give him another bone-crushing hug. “I may not understand it...at all but…” She swallowed, looking Dipper in the eyes. “I trust you.”

“Thanks, Mabes,” Dipper whispered, quirking a small smile.

“Just be careful!” Mabel commanded as she gracefully climbed into the carriage. “And I’ll be expecting an invitation or something to come and see you every week! We still have a _lot_ we need to talk about!”

“As you should,” Dipper replied with a chuckle. He waved as the carriage pulled out, only turning away when it was no longer in sight. Gosh, he hoped he’d made the right decision.

Dipper wandered back inside, walking passed Giffany and Robbie as quickly as possible. He did pause to say good night to Soos, who was attempting to get some leftover jello from the table to his mouth without using his hands, and Wendy, who was animatedly cheering the gardener on.

He eventually found himself out on one of the balconies that overlooked the entire front half of the estate. Dipper rested him elbows on the railing, savoring the breathtaking view that was provided by the starry night. As much as he liked sunsets, he loved a clear evening even more.

“Ah! There you are, Pine Tree!”

Dipper turned to see Bill, no longer sporting the cane he sometimes felt was essential to suddenly bring into existence. He joined Dipper where he was leaning against the balcony’s edge, standing much closer than necessary. Dipper didn’t mind one bit.

“I brought you something,” Bill said when Dipper didn’t make a move to start any sort of conversation.

He revealed the arm that had been hidden behind his back, as well as the delicate red rose resting against his palm. He handed it to Dipper with a pleased grin. “I picked it from the garden earlier, I remember you telling me how cliché it was that you loved roses.”

Dipper held the flower with care, examining it. “What happened to the thorns?”

“I got rid of them,” Bill scoffed, reaching out to brush his fingers along Dipper’s, which still held the stem of the rose. His hands were still warm, Dipper noticed, and he wasn’t wearing gloves like he had been when they danced. Something inside him stirred at the not-so-distant memory.

“Why does that sound exactly like something you’d do?” Dipper laughed, shaking his head.

“That’s because I _did_ just do it.” Bill dropped his hand, smiling in that soft, incredibly genuine way that always managed to sprout a tingly feeling within Dipper’s chest.

“Bill,” Dipper murmured, noting how they’d drawn even closer, and how he still wasn’t bothered by it.

“Yeah, kid?”

Dipper placed the rose onto the balcony railing and shakily let his hands rest on Bill’s shoulders. He could _feel_ the red color of his cheeks as he observed the blond’s inquisitive look. That’s when he pressed a chaste kiss to Bill’s lips.

When there was no retaliation from the baffled lord, Dipper pulled away, his lips still burning pleasantly from the sensation. His gaze dropped to the floor, another wave of embarrassment washing through him. “Sorry, sorry, I jus-“

“Don’t you dare apologize, Pine Tree.”

“Huh?”

Then they were kissing again. Bill had pulled Dipper closer by the hips; his head angled downward just enough to account for their slight height difference. Dipper’s hands wrapped tightly over Bill’s shoulders and around to the back of his neck.

Dipper’s first thought was that, holy shit, he was kissing Bill. His second was the realization that Bill was kissing him back. And lord did it make his knees go weak. 

He didn’t pull away; he didn’t _want_ to pull away. Instead, he let Bill hold him, lips pressing to Dipper’s with a surprising softness.

How long had he wanted this? Dipper’s brain shut the question out as soon as it came to mind. In that moment, with the stars twinkling high above and a soft breeze drifting through the night air, nothing else mattered.

He was kissing Bill, and his heart was soaring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ha! And you thought this couldn't get anymore cliché! I'm the king of clichés, thank you very much. (On another note, I have no idea how dancing works.)
> 
> We'll be seeing some more of the Stans in the next chapter, so keep an eye out ;3


	8. Both a Little Scared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I changed my username because of recent events involving a certain grunkle's head wear being acquired by yours truly.

“You were _where_?” Stan shouted, his face contorted into an expression of equal rage and worry. He whirled away from Mabel and Pacifica, turning on Ford instead. “Did you know about this?”

It was the morning after Cipher’s sudden party, and Grunkle Stan was not too pleased to learn what exactly had transpired behind his back.

Ford did his best to keep his gaze off of his furious brother. “I had a feeling Dipper might’ve wanted to stay at Cipher’s, but who better to convince him to come home than his sister?”

“That’s still no excuse to let these two walk in there unarmed!” Stan insisted.

“I assure you, they were perfectly safe,” Ford countered. “Over half the town was there! Bill wouldn’t try any-“

“Bill?” Stan’s eyebrows twitched and Mabel could’ve sworn she heard him growl. He grabbed Ford by his collar, pulling him closer in a threatening manner. “That’s this damned lord’s name? How _the hell_ do you know that?”

Ford laughed nervously. “Lucky guess?”

“But I heard you say it earlier, when you were looking through your journal.” Mabel finally spoke, not in the mood to watch the two brothers fight. They had more pressing matters on their hands. “Why does Gideon have one of them?”

Stan looked between Mabel and Ford, his relentless glare never seeming to waver. Then he sighed, letting go of his twin’s coat and falling back against the wall.

Mabel sucked in a shaky breath of air, shooting a sideways glance at Pacifica. “He came up to us at the ball and said that he was there for the rest of ‘your work’ or something, and then he mentioned how you’d sold one of your journals to him a few years ago.” She bit her lip, observing Grunkle Ford carefully. “Is that true?”

Ford let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his gray hair. “Look, I didn’t want to get rid of them,” he explained. “It was the only way Gideon would stop harassing you after you told him you weren’t interested.”

Mabel’s eyes widened. “You sold your work off to Gideon…for me?”

“O-oh, well, I wouldn’t say th-“ He didn’t get to finish his sentence because Mabel was hugging him.

“Why didn’t you ever tell me that?” she asked, her voice muffled by Ford’s shoulder.

“I would’ve had to explain the journals,” Ford admitted, “…and Bill.”

Mabel pulled back and from the corner of her eye she saw both Grunkle Stan and Pacifica perk up. “What about Cipher?” Pacifica questioned, speaking for the first time. Everyone was watching Ford eagerly now, awaiting his answer.

Ford rubbed the back of his head, swallowing nervously. “I met Bill while I was travelling,” he said. “I found out about his curse and ended up staying with him for a year or so to study it. I thought, hah, I actually thought I could find some scientific way to break it for him.”

“Wait, Bill’s cursed?” Mabel gasped, turning to share her shocked look with Pacifica. The blond herself was even surprised by this news. “How?”

“He’s immortal, cursed to live forever unless someone can learn to truly love him, and he can love them in return.”

Mabel’s mind was reeling, her thoughts hurtling back to last night as she tried to recall all the encounters she had had with Bill. She mentally slapped herself for not seeing it sooner, especially since she was a love expert, although she _had_ been a bit preoccupied.

“What I wanna know,” Stan spoke up, arms crossed firmly over his chest, “Is how you know all this. You and Cipher would’ve had to be pretty close for you to get this kind of information out of him.”

Ford stifled slightly, looking down at the coarse material of his coat and not showing any signs of answering.

Mabel stepped closer, putting her hand against her Grunkle’s arm to encourage him. “What exactly happened between you and him?”

Ford opened his mouth and closed it again. His expression looked pained and it appeared as though he was somewhere else entirely. “It’s a bit of a long story…”

~~~~~

Dipper awoke in a room that was not his own.

Last night came back to him in a sudden rush of memory.

“Dipper Pines,” Bill had said between their flurry of kisses, “You are completely and utterly the most beautiful person I’ve ever had the privilege of laying eyes on.”

“You only have one eye, though” Dipper had replied, despite having been completely flustered by Bill’s compliment.

“Not true, actually.”

“Really?” Dipper hadn’t even pondered over the notion that Bill covered his eye for any other reason besides not having one.

“Mmm, I’ll show you in the morning,” Bill had purred while running his hands up and down the brunet’s arms.

Dipper had been wondering what Bill meant by that when he was suddenly pulled back inside and down the hallway into Bill’s bedroom. It dawned on him now, lying next to Bill in the lord’s own bed and still wearing his dress shirt and trousers from the ball, that until last night he had never been in Cipher’s bedroom.

He untangled himself from Bill enough so he could get a good look at the man. His eye bandage was gone, and Dipper could now see that the blue pattern he’d been curious about for so long led right up to the bottom of his eyelid. Bill looked so peaceful while he was asleep.

Dipper’s gaze dropped lower still, trailing over his lips. Those were the same lips that just last evening had kissed him senseless; those were Bill’s lips.

It was Bill Cipher who he had kissed with a desperate passion until they both grew tired. It was Bill Cipher who’d held him until he drifted off into one of the finest sleeps of his life. His chest fluttered at the recollection of it all.

Was Dipper seriously falling love?

He rolled onto his back, resting his arms on his stomach and staring up at the ceiling. He had never been good with his emotions like Mabel was. Not to mention he was starting to feel guilty about sneaking around behind the lord’s back all this time.

“You sure seem wide awake this morning, Pine Tree,” Bill mumbled suddenly, drawing Dipper’s attention back to the man beside him. That post-sleep haze still hung over him as he rubbed his eyes, and Dipper would be lying if he said he didn’t think it was quite endearing.

“I had a good night’s sleep,” Dipper shrugged.

“It’s alright, you can admit that sleeping in my arms is way more comfortable than being in your own bed.” Bill’s eyes were still closed, and he draped one of his long arms over Dipper’s chest.

“Well, it certainly was warmer,” Dipper admitted, and Bill let out a hearty laugh.

There was a comfortable silence between them for a moment and Dipper enjoyed it until his curiosity began to eat away at him. “Can I see your eye?” he blurted. Wow, that was subtle.

“Way to get right to the point, kid,” Bill said with a teasing grin, lifting his head and cracking both of his eyes open.

Dipper let out a soft gasp. “It’s…clear?” Dipper reached a hand out to brush along Bill’s cheek and pull him closer. He studied the orb where Bill’s iris and pupil should’ve been incredulously. Upon further inspection, he realized it wasn’t clear but in fact, but reflective like a mirror. “How is that possible?”

“You really don’t wanna call witches out on how ugly they are,” Bill said, and though his words were intended to be taken jokingly, his voice was soft. His breath ghosted Dipper’s skin and made him shiver.

“A witch cursed you because you called her ugly?” Dipper questioned, not removing his hand from where it rested against Bill’s cheek. He even took a minute to run his fingers along that trail of blue, which surprisingly felt just like the rest of the blond’s soft skin.

Bill laughed bitterly. “If only it were that easy,” he said, taking Dipper’s fingers in his own. “That’s not important, though.” He turned his head, kissing the palm of Dipper’s hand as if the brunet was made of something as delicate as porcelain.

“But it’s important to me,” Dipper found himself saying, eyebrows furrowed. Bill was giving him a strange look as he spoke. “I-I mean, if there’s a way to reverse this curse, maybe I could help you with it?”

Bill studied Dipper like he had back in the clearing when they’d first met. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to,” Dipper insisted, his eyes flaring with determination. If he could find a way to break Bill’s curse, why wouldn’t he do it? Even though his feelings for the man weren’t entirely sorted out just yet, Dipper knew that at the very least he cared for Bill enough to assist him.

“It’s not that simple,” Bill whispered, his gaze flickering down to Dipper’s lips before returning to his eyes. His free hand had moved up to linger on the twin’s jawline.

“Why not?”

“It requires a certain…touch.”

Bill’s lips were just grazing Dipper’s when a loud knock echoed the room.

Dipper jumped back from Bill’s hold just as the door swung open.

“Your morning tea, sir!” A woman with straw-colored hair that Dipper remembered from a few other occasions as Melody pushed a small cart into the room. She paused at the sight of Dipper in bed beside Bill, but her inquisitive look only lasted briefly before it was replaced by an unusually genuine smile. “Would you like some as well, Dipper?”

“I’m fine, thank you,” Dipper said, holding up a hand and giving the maid a weak smile. “I should probably get going, anyway.” He slid out from under the sheets, bending down to retrieve his coat from where it had been carelessly shed the night prior.

“Why the rush, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, propping himself up so he could take the teacup and plate from Melody.

“Wendy will probably be wondering where I am,” Dipper replied, slipping into his shoes next. He also had something he wanted to do as soon as possible, since the guilt had been gnawing at him since he woke up. “Why? Do you miss me already?”

Bill rolled his eyes, which earned a soft snort from Melody.

“Seriously though, I should go,” Dipper insisted, rubbing his elbow with his hand. “You obviously have a morning routine that I’m clearly interrupting.”

“Please, for you? I’d interrupt any mundane routine,” Bill said, taking a sip of his tea. He spoke so nonchalantly it made Dipper blush.

“We could have lunch in the garden again, if you’d like that.”

Bill gave him an interested glance before nodding curtly. “Alright, if you insist.”

Dipper smiled, pressing his hand to the door handle and pushing the door open. “See you in a little while.” 

As soon as the door shut, Dipper was rushing down the hallway and back to his room. He was alarmed to find that Wendy wasn’t there, but then again she always seemed to know what was going on between he and Bill before even they knew.

Dipper dropped to his knees and hastily retrieved the secret journal he’d been obsessively reading. Well, as of the past week he’d been much too busy to delve into the journal’s secrets. It was due to the events that had unfolded during that time that goaded him to do what he had rushed out on Bill to accomplish.

Dipper, with the maroon-jacketed book in hand, tiptoed back to the secret forbidden room. Though he hadn’t been there in a while, he was still able to pick the lock and slip inside with ease.

He unlocked the decorative box and opened the lid as carefully as he was able. He then flipped through the worn journal one final time, savoring the way the coarse pages felt against his fingers.

If Dipper had kept the thing in his possession any longer, the guilt would’ve no doubt begun to torment him. He decided after what seemed to be a mutual display of his and Bill’s feelings towards one another last night that he didn’t need it anymore. If Bill had secrets that he wasn’t yet comfortable telling Dipper, the Pines twin wasn’t about to pry into it. They were Bill’s secrets to tell.

Plus, he’d already read through it cover to cover, so there wasn’t much new information to squeeze out of it even if he’d wanted to.

He was just resting the journal back into its proper place when he heard the door open.

“Did you run out of books in the library?” hissed a voice he knew well.

“Bill!”

Dipper scrambled to slam the lid of the box down. The attempt to cover his tracks proved useless though and he felt his body tense under Bill’s accusing glower. “I was just-“

“Don’t,” Bill snapped, holding up a hand. Dipper froze, his heart practically stopping in his chest. Fuck, this wasn’t good.

The lord clasped both arms behind his back, pursing his lips and looking at the ground. He began to pace the length of the room with painfully slow motions.

“I just started to trust you, Pine Tree,” Bill finally said. He still was refusing to look at the brunet. “If you hadn’t been so eager to leave earlier you would’ve continued to play me like a fool.”

“Bill, I wasn’t-“

“And to think I actually thought you’d be different from your uncle.” Bill shook his head, scoffing. “All you Pines are the same, aren’t you?”

“What are you talking about?” Dipper sputtered, thankful he had finally been able to get a complete sentence out. What did any of this have to do with Stan and Ford?

Bill immediately stopped pacing, trading the action for glaring daggers at Dipper instead. “I didn’t recognize your sister at first, but when I saw you,” Bill laughed forcedly, “I knew right away that you had to be related to Sixer.”

“Sixer?” Dipper racked his brain for some sort of connection, and it didn’t take him long to piece the puzzle together. “Wait, you knew Grunkle Ford?”

“I’m not surprised he never mentioned me,” Bill spat, clearly agitated with Ford as much as he was with Dipper. “He wouldn’t want his precious niece and nephew knowing what he’d done.”

Dipper’s heartbeat quickened, and not in the pleasant way it had when he had first kissed Bill yesterday, no. This made him anxious and sweaty, and he hated being sweaty.

When Dipper made no move to reply, Bill continued. “Since you can’t seem to figure it out, allow me to dumb it down for you,” Bill said, his tone overly condescending. “Your precious little great uncle stumbled across my place a few decades ago, and he was quite interested in me.”

Bill stepped closer, resting his gloved palms on the desk between himself and Dipper. “I, being the kind and generous guy I am, let him stay with me. I hadn’t exactly had much socialization, so I saw this as a prime opportunity.”

Dipper saw Bill’s hand clench above the wood of the desk. “We became friends, good friends,” he continued, “He would ask me all sorts of questions about myself, and it was so nice to actually talk to someone new. He even offered to try and break the damn curse that keeps me trapped within this God forsaken forest.”

Bill’s hand suddenly slammed down on the table, startling Dipper. “And then you know what happened?” Bill shouted. “I found out the bastard was keeping journals on me. From information on my servants to anything personal I’d ever told him, he had written it down like I was some sort of _specimen!_ ”

Dipper felt himself pulling back, more than stunned by Bill’s story. Was he even telling the truth, and if so, why had Ford never mentioned this before? Was this why he’d kept Mabel and him out of the woods for all those years?

“I…I had no idea,” Dipper whispered after what felt like an eternity of quiet between them.

Bill laughed bitterly, straightening his stature. “I can’t believe I let myself fall for the same thing, all over again.”

“If you’d just let me explain,” Dipper pleaded. His stomach twisted and churned, making him feel sick. He just wanted desperately to find a way to get Bill to forgive him, but he was at a loss.

“Get out.”

Dipper’s eyes widened and he rushed around the writing desk so he was standing in front of Bill now. “You can’t be serious, Bill, it’s me!”

“Don’t think just because I’ve fallen for you means I’ll let you stay,” Bill snarled. 

The abrupt confession left Dipper speechless and he couldn’t find any words to respond with. He just stared at Bill, completely dumbfounded and unable to do anything.

“Get out, get off my property and don’t ever come back,” Bill growled, pointing a black gloved finger at the open door. “Before I change my mind and lock you in the dungeon.”

Dipper stared at the lord, on the brink of tears now. Bill simply turned away from him, refusing to let the brunet see his face.

“I’m sorry.” Dipper managed to choke his apology without trying to argue that it was all just a misunderstanding. If Bill would just listen to him…

He didn’t even bother taking the time to go back to his room or wander around until he had the chance to say goodbye to Wendy and Soos. Dipper just silently walked out the front entrance, hoping that Bill, Wendy, Soos, Robbie, anyone, would come running down the grand staircase to stop him.

No one did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Valentine's Day and yet I bring you feels.


	9. Neither One Prepared

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, if you guys were upset over last chapter, wait until you read this one!
> 
> (Also, how ‘bout that finale? I cried like 8 times! Ok, only once, but it was for a solid 20 minutes.)

“Gentlemen!” Gideon’s voice rang out over the small crowd of men that stood before him. “I thank you all for coming!”

They nudged one another, nodding and releasing grunts of approval. It wasn’t as though they really had a better option than to be here; Gideon had sprung these felons from the jail so he’d have a compliant army to help him raid Bill’s mansion. It wasn't unexpected how easily some people could be bribed.

Gideon cleared his throat and the murmurs that rippled through the criminals immediately silenced.

“As you already know, I’ve called upon you _lovely_ folks to help me retrieve something.” Gideon snapped his fingers and his father immediately pulled the second journal out of his coat so he could hand it to his impatient son. “It’s a journal that’s currently hidden away in that damn Lord Cipher’s estate.”

Another wave of murmurs buzzed through the pack of sweaty, ignorant crooks.

“It looks like this,” Gideon explained, holding the book up in the air so all the men could see. “Except, it’s got a number three on it, not that any of you would know what that looks like…” He grumbled the last part under his breath, only half-joking.

“Why does a necromancer like Cipher have it, then?” a man with wild red hair cried, crossing his meaty arms over his chest. He must’ve had at least a bit of brains in that thick skull of his.

“He stole it,” Gideon snapped, lying through his teeth. He didn’t need these men prying too much into it and learning of his years of efforts attempting to steal the fucking things from that menace, Stanford Pines. Even though most of these ex-convicts were illiterate, they weren’t complete buffoons.

“Now, anymore questions, or are ya’ll ready to take down that reclusive heathen and get back what’s rightfully mine?” 

The group cheered, whistling and pumping their fists in the air. Gideon grinned wickedly. “Alright boys, let’s do this!”

He just had to make one little stop on the way…

~~~~~

Dipper walked in silence for most of his walk home. His head was pounding and his chest felt unnaturally tight. He was surprised he made it back at all.

“Hey,” he muttered as he pushed open the door to the rickety old shack where the Pines resided. He was immediately attacked.

Mabel was squeezing the life out of him, Stan was staring at him in shock, and Ford had dropped his pen.

“Dipper? How did you escape?” Ford was on his feet immediately, ushering Mabel out of the way and examining the younger twin to make sure he was alright. When he was sure Dipper was unharmed, he pulled him into a feeble hug.

“Mabel said you wouldn’t come back with her,” Stan muttered, shoving Ford out of the way to take his turn to hug the brunet. “What happened, kid?”

“Uh, it’s…complicated,” Dipper said, refusing to make eye contact with anyone in the room. He even kept his eyes off Pacifica who was more detached from the reunion than the others.

“Did you sneak out? Or did you somehow convince Bill to let you leave?” Ford asked, adjusting his glasses.

“Neither,” Dipper admitted. “We sort of got in a fight.”

A tense quiet filled the room as Mabel, Stan, and Ford all shared knowing looks.

“It was kinda about you, actually,” Dipper continued, nodding weakly at Ford. I found your journal hidden away there and…and he got upset when he caught me with it.”

Ford pursed his lips, drumming his six fingers on the table. “Well, at least you’re safe now.”

Dipper wanted to be angry with his great uncle, but he just didn’t have the heart to. Not right now. “Yeah, uh, I was wondering if you still had any of your other journals with you.”

Mabel stifled at this. “Gideon just came by and tore the place apart until he got his hands on it,” she said bitterly.

“That little bastard,” Stan groused, a frown creasing his face. “Said those dumb nerd books held a secret and that he was off to kill Cipher with them. Pft, what a hot-shot he must think he is!”

It took Dipper a moment to process everything, but as soon as he did his head snapped up. “Gideon’s doing what?” He grabbed Ford by the jacket and shook him. “We have to go save him!”

“You wanna go save Gideon?” Grunkle Stan questioned with a raised eyebrow. “Ha! That’s hilarious!”

“Nonononono, Bill! I have to go save Bill!” Dipper explained, turning back to look at Grunkle Ford. “If it’s true that Gideon knows a way to kill him, I…I can’t let that happen!”

Ford pulled away, shaking his head. “Are you crazy, Dipper? It’s not like he’d listen! Besides, the probability of that ritual working is low at best.”

Dipper ran a hand through his hair, hastily patting it down. “I don’t care,” he said, moving back towards the door and grabbing ahold of the handle. “If there’s even a slight chance that Bill’s in trouble, I have to go at least warn him.”

There was another heavy silence that filled the room, and Dipper took a deep breath before reopening the door to the shack.

“Wait, Dipper,” Mabel cried, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder.

“What?”

“We’re coming with you,” she said, glancing at their great uncles. The three of them nodded simultaneously, and the look in his sister’s eyes was filled with an encouraging determination.

“I’ll come too,” a voice piped up.

All eyes turned to Pacifica, who was getting up from her seat and brushing off her dress. When no one spoke, she shot them all a funny look. “What? I happen to know a secret way in.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Stan said with a shrug.

“Stanley,” Ford said, obvious hesitance in his voice. “Are you sure this is safe?”

Stan rolled his eyes, turning towards his brother. “When has anything this family ever gotten into been safe?” Ford still didn’t look convinced, but Stan persisted. “C’mon, Sixer, buddy! You really want these kids to go alone?”

Grunkle Ford sighed in defeat, removing his worn coat from where it was splayed across the couch and slipping into it. “Fine, fine, but we’d better hurry.”

“Yay!” Mabel cried, shaking Pacifica arm much to the girl’s distaste, “Family bonding trip!”

They left as quickly as they could, though Mabel insisted on bringing snacks. The forest had grown hotter in the time it had taken since Dipper arrived to when they left and Pacifica complained the whole way. It even started to rain as she, while grumbling about her hair, led the group around the back to the kitchen entrance. How she even knew about this, Dipper had no idea. He wasn’t about to complain, though.

As soon as they slipped inside, the five of them were welcomed with a collective gasp. Robbie, Wendy, and Soos were all seated around a plain table, cards in hand.

“Whoa, Dipper?” Wendy and Soos sprang up while Robbie tilted his head in slight interest. 

Wendy rushed over and pulled Dipper into a quick hug. “Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you all morning and Bill hasn’t said a word!”

“I’ve never seen him like this before, dude,” Soos tacked on. It looked like he was going to say more, but his gaze fell on Pacifica next. “Hey, why’s Pacifica here? And why does that girl look like you if you went outside more and had crazy long hair?”

Dipper could hear Robbie scoff from his chair, but it was ignored.

“This is Mabel, my sister, and these are Ford and Stan. They’re twins also,” Dipper hastily explained. “I’ll tell you everything later, I promise, but right now I have to see Bill.”

Wendy gaped in confusion, but didn’t interrupt as Dipper continued his rushed discourse. “You two know where Ford’s old study is, right?”

“Of course,” Soos stated, pointing to his head, “This thing’s a steel trap, I can assure you.” Robbie just scoffed again.

“I do too,” Wendy confirmed.

“Right, ok, you guys take Stan and Mabel and go get the third journal. I’m sure they can explain more on the way, plus Stan can pick the lock for you. It should be in a wooden box on the writing desk in the middle of the room,” Dipper said, pausing only for a moment before he turned to his other great uncle. “Grunkle Ford, can yo-“

“I’ll go with them.” Ford’s eyes were hard and his six-fingered hands were both clenched at his sides.

Everyone was quiet, except Robbie who was chewing on some bread at an obnoxiously loud volume.

“Are you sure?” Mabel suddenly asked, pressing a supportive hand to his arm.

“Positive,” Ford said, looking between Mabel and Dipper to his own brother. “It’s something I need to do, just like Dipper needs to…talk things out with Bill.” He laughed forcedly. “Besides, it was my office. I’ll know my way around better than any of you.” 

Dipper considered protesting, but Ford’s eyes begged him not to, and so he closed his mouth and nodded.

“Gideon’s men will be crawling the place any minute,” Dipper said, “We have to get going.”

“Wait, who’s Gideon?”

“Get a move on, Soos!” Wendy shouted, tugging the larger man along with her.

Dipper shot a final glance at Robbie before taking off, panting as he ran up the staircase and out of the kitchen. “Bill?” he yelled, hoping the lord would hear him.

When there was no response, Dipper began rushing down the hall towards Bill’s chambers. He was opening and closing doors at a rapid pace, crying out Bill’s name as he went. It was all very dramatic honestly, but he had bigger problems to be worrying about.

There was no way Gideon already got here, right? They hadn’t been that far behind after all…

He swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, kicking himself for being so worried. Bill was okay, he had to be okay!

Dipper threw open the door to Bill’s bedroom, his heart racing. When he saw the familiar lean figure facing the window, relief swept through him.

“Bill!”

The lord turned around, a look of shock on his flawless face. “Pine Tree? What are you-“

It was finally Dipper’s chance to cut Bill off as he practically tackled him into a hug.

“You’re alive,” Dipper cried, embracing Bill with all his might. “I was so worried…” He buried his face in Bill’s shoulder, laughing halfheartedly.

Bill seemed more than baffled by the entire scene, but he let his arms drop around Dipper nevertheless. “Of course I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” He gently pat Dipper’s brown locks, the butter-soft fabric of his glove providing a soothing sensation.

Dipper pried himself away from the blond, holding onto his upper arms instead. “It’s Gideon, the priest from town I told you about. He’s coming, and he has Grunkle Ford’s other two journals which apparently have a way that might just lift your curse so that he can kill you!” He inhaled sharply, impressed with himself that he was able to talk as fast as Mabel when she was on a sugar trip.

“I know you told me never to come back,” Dipper said, his voice lowering. His grip on Bill’s golden clad arms tightened while his gaze dropped to his feet, “But I couldn’t just leave you to defend yourself all alone, and I didn’t want to risk it, plus I still had to apologize about the whole journal thing which I tried to do before, but yeah, I’m really, really sorry about all that.“

“Pine Tree,” Bill said, trying to stop Dipper’s prattling.

“I talked to Grunkle Ford and I really think everything that happened with him was a big misunderstanding and I want to help fix things between you and him because I actually hate seeing you upset and I-“

“Pine Tree, _listen_."

Dipper gulped, managing to suppress any other words that threatened to spill out. “Yes?” he squeaked manly. Ok, maybe not manly. Definitely not manly.

Bill took Dipper’s cheeks in his hands, staring down at him with his exposed, caramel colored iris. “I’m sorry,” he said slowly. “I shouldn’t have been so brash when I found you in Ford’s old study, and that was…that was wrong.”

Dipper’s jaw dropped at Bill’s admission of guilt, and he found himself still holding on to him like his life depended on it. “Bill…”

“I realized the moment you left that I couldn’t bare being without you,” Bill added. His face was just centimeters away and Dipper could feel his breath as he spoke. “Dipper Pines, I’m in love with you.”

His heart was thundering inside his ribs now and the butterflies in his stomach melted away at the confession.

“I'm in love with you, too,” Dipper replied without hesitation, leaning forward to bump their foreheads together. “I love you and I really want you to kiss me again.”

Bill immediately obliged, capturing Dipper’s lips with his own in a kiss that took his breath away. They were still holding onto one another like it was the end of the world, and they probably would’ve never let go if it hadn’t been for the glow of soft blue light suddenly radiating from under Bill’s eye strapping.

The pair broke apart, Dipper watching in confusion and Bill clumsily tearing off the white bandage. A blinding light filled the room and Dipper had to shield his eyes from the harsh brightness. When he finally was able to look at Bill again, he gasped at the sight.

The blue that had once trailed down Bill’s cheek was gone and his eye was gifted with the sapphire color instead. 

“Wh-what happened?” Dipper asked, stepping closer to run his fingers along Bill’s now clear skin.

Bill reached a hand up to meet with Dipper’s and his gaze flickered to the mirror beside his bed. His eyes widened and he let out an energetic laugh. 

“You did it, Pine Tree!” he cried, lifting Dipper up and twirling him around in what was possibly the cheesiest thing either of them had ever been involved in. When Bill set him back down, he kissed Dipper chastely. He was beaming, his excitement utterly contagious. “You actually did it!”

“Did _what_?" Dipper questioned for a second time, unable to stop himself from lightly laughing along.

“You broke the curse, kid!”

“I did?”

Bill shook his head up and down enthusiastically. “You did!” Dipper had never seen him so excited before and Dipper himself felt his heart swell with happiness. He kissed Bill again. And again and again and again.

Dipper was sure Bill would’ve lifted him up once more if the bedroom door hadn’t swung open. They pulled apart from one another, both a bit dazed (Dipper in particular).

“Well ain’t this a touching seen?”

Dipper’s half-lidded eyes flew open and he found himself pressing in front of Bill as none other than Gideon Gleeful entered the room.

“Gideon,” Dipper hissed, staring angrily at the man whose sword was drawn and pointed.

“He’s shorter than I expected him to be,” Bill muttered from behind the brunet. “And fatter.”

Dipper elbowed him, brown eyes not leaving Gideon’s. “His immortality is gone,” Dipper said, an unexpected snarl laced with his words. “You have no reason to kill Cipher now.”

“Can it, Pines,” Gideon shouted, swinging his weapon threateningly. Dipper pushed Bill back even farther to avoid either of them getting cut. “Your irritating uncles already informed me when I went to get that ridiculous journal.”

His beady eyes darted up around Dipper to fix on Bill before he laughed cruelly. “Since you folks are so insistent on getting in my way, I think I’ll slice you up a bit. How does that sound, Dipper?” He swiped his sword forward, leaving a small gash on Dipper’s arm that made the boy wince.

Bill responded before Dipper could, yanking him back by his wrists so he was now standing in front of him.

“How dare you!” Bill growled, his eyes nearly red with fury. “If you think you can get anywhere near him, you’ll have to go through me first.”

“Well that’s mighty fine by me, Cipher,” Gideon said, tossing his sword between his two hands. “I must say, now that we’ve officially been acquainted, I’m not a fan of yours.”

“I should say the same about you,” Bill countered, his smirk wide and just the slightest bit insane.

Gideon lunged at him, his entire form sloppy even for Dipper’s standards. Bill easily dodged the blow, rotating around so he could kick in the back of his knees. Gideon let out a piggish squeal, falling to the cold floor.

Dipper suddenly let out an unintentional but obviously pained whine, and Bill’s attention slid back up to him.

“Pine Tree,” he said, heterochromatic eyes wide with concern. He pulled the shaking brunet closer, looking down at the thin trails of red dripping from the wound on his arm.

“I’m fine, really,” Dipper insisted, meeting those gorgeous eyes with a warm smile. His look turned to one of horror though as soon he caught sight of Gideon on his feet again.

The corrupt priest staggered forward, sword tip aimed right at Bill’s back.

“No!”

In that definitive moment, Dipper made a bit of an impulsive decision. It wasn’t unlike the one he’d made way back when he’d taken Bill’s deal so Mabel wouldn’t have to.

And he didn’t regret it for an instant.

Dipper pushed the now very human Bill out of the way, putting himself in the direct path of Gideon’s silver blade. The next few seconds felt as though they were moving in slow motion. Bill was shocked, Gideon was fuming, and Dipper had a sword plunged through his torso.

It hurt like absolute hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At least Dipper got lots of hugs, right? He also got stabbed. So I mean…yeah.
> 
> You also may be wondering how they got to Bill's place before Gideon and his men. The answer is obviously fairytale magic. Duh.
> 
> (I will be posting the final two parts together since one of them is the epilogue! Hopefully they’ll be up by next weekend, or maybe before? We’ll see.)


	10. Beauty and the Beast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it, folks. Time to go full-on Tangled.

“Pine Tree!”

Bill’s heart stopped the moment Dipper pushed between him and Gideon. The brunet caught the blade in his stomach and he collapsed into Bill’s arms.

“Pine Tree,” Bill cried again, sinking to the floor with Dipper slack against him. “C’mon, you gotta stay with me. You can’t die, not now.”

“S’okay, j-just hurts a little,” Dipper muttered, his beautiful brown eyes blinking rapidly and his fingers clenching onto the sleeves of Bill’s coat. There was no way in hell it hurt _just a little._ “Bill, I-“

“Son of a bitch!” The hilt of Gideon’s sword swung down suddenly, striking Dipper across the face. “You Pines are always getting in my way!”

Bill cautiously pulled himself out from under Dipper’s shivering body, his multicolored eyes gleaming with rage. “Don’t you _dare_ touch him,” he snarled. He got to his feet, swiftly moving over to unsheathe one of the two swords from the decorative piece above the mantle.

“I’ll do whatever damn well I please,” Gideon hissed. He made another advance towards the injured brunet, but Bill swiped at the priest’s side. The blow tore a thin strip in his pale blue attire, causing him to cry out. “Damn you!”

Before he could make another move though, Bill was upon him. Gideon let out a piggish squeal as his own weapon was knocked from his hand and he was backed out onto the balcony. He hardly even put up fight! This guy was fucking pathetic.

Rain poured down on the both of them, Bill’s sword not wavering from where it lightly pressed against Gideon’s chin. A brilliant flash of lightning lit up the darkened sky, followed closely by a roar of thunder.

“You’re a bastard, you know that?” Bill growled. He thrusted his sword forward, just enough so Gideon was forced against the slick railing of the balcony. Then he let out a harsh laugh. “But you know what the best part is?”

Gideon visibly gulped, his normally voluptuous hair completely drenched.

“No one will give a damn that you’re gone.” With that, Bill shoved Gideon over the side. One of Gideon’s hands somehow managed to grip the lower part of the ornate railing as he fell, though. Now his feet dangled in the air while he held on for dear life, three stories up.

“Cipher! This isn’t funny!” Gideon yelled, his voice filled with pitiful desperation. “Let me up this instant!”

“Oh?” Bill knelt down so his face was even with that of the fearful man. “You seemed to be enjoying yourself very much when you _shoved a sword_ through the man I love!” He gestured wildly towards Dipper, whose eyes were wide and pleading. They were much more stunning than Gideon’s beady little ones that perfectly matched the disgusted look on his face.

Bill sniffed, straightening his back and pressing the heel of his boot into Gideon’s hand. He let out a shriek of pain as he struggled to keep his grip on the slick edge. This only encouraged Bill to shove his foot down harder.

“B-Bill! Please, don’t!”

Cipher froze, his features no longer contorted with anger but instead with reluctance.

“You’re b-better than him,” Dipper cried, his voice choked and tired. “You’re not a monster, Bill!”

He clenched his fingers, gripping the wet appendages and tersely running his thumb over each of his nails as he contemplated Dipper’s words. Bill’s first instinct was to pull away, listen to his beloved and let this horrible leech of a man go free. Gideon was just that, though: a leech. Could he really release someone who had purposely brought this much harm to his precious Pine Tree like it was nothing?

“Please,” Dipper begged, and the way his voice cracked sent a pang of hurt through Bill’s chest. 

Bill turned his gaze to settle on the boy who was sprawled on the tile in pain, the boy he’d fallen so desperately in love with.

There was a long pause, only filled with the sound of pouring rain and Gideon’s heavy breaths. Then, Bill reached over and pulled the good-for-nothing little rat of a man back over the railing and onto the safety of the balcony.

Gideon immediately scrambled to his feet, stumbling a few times as he rushed out of the room still completely drenched. Bill shot an icy glare at him until he was gone, honestly not looking much better since he too had been standing in the pouring rain.

“Bill?” Dipper whispered, his voice feeble and unsteady.

Bill let his sword clatter to the ground, rushing over to kneel on the floor and gather Dipper in his arms.

“Hey, Pine Tree, it’s okay, you’re okay,” he murmured, nuzzling against his forehead gently.

“It’s alright,” Dipper choked, a nervous laugh slipping from between chapped lips. “I-I’m not an i-idiot. I know I w-won’t last much longer…”

“Shut up! Don’t say that!” Bill argued, feeling tears threatening to spill down his cheeks as he watched Dipper’s eyes drift farther and farther away. “Just look at me, keep your eyes on me!”

“Bill…”

“I told you, you can’t die! That’s not part of our deal.”

Dipper laughed, though it was almost too weak to be called that. “I love you, Bill,” he said with a practiced clarity. He managed to lift his hand up enough to shakily stroke Bill’s cheek, wiping away tears the lord hadn’t even noticed were there.

“Dipper…” Bill breathed, clenching his eyes shut as if the action could somehow take away all of his Pine Tree’s pain.

“I love you,” Dipper repeated, almost inaudibly. His eyes had fluttered shut while he spoke, his sentence fading out into nothing.

“Pine Tree?” Bill shook the boy’s body, his voice filling with panic. “Pine Tree, c’mon, kid…”

Dipper didn’t react though, and his body lay lifeless in Bill’s trembling limbs.

“Dipper…” He choked out the brunet’s name, tears spilling down his cheeks. He hadn’t cried since his brother passed. Bill hastily rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. This couldn’t be happening. He was fine, he had to be. Dipper Pines was not dead. He…he couldn’t be…

Shit, this was entirely his fault.

Suddenly, Gideon’s obvious shriek echoed from down the hall. A gruff voice told the little gremlin to ‘shut it’ and a moment later, Dipper’s family was standing in the doorway.

“Dipper? Are yo-“ Mabel shrieked at the sight of her brother’s limp form in Bill’s arms. “Dipper!” she cried, running forward only to be held back by a strong hand. She jerked to a stop, turning to look up at Ford’s hard features. His face was as serious as ever but there was still a pained glint in his eyes.

She hiccuped softly, leaning forward so she could wrap her arms around Ford and whimper into his chest. She felt reassuring arms around her and a third hand that she quickly identified as Stan’s resting on her shoulder. In his other hand, her grunkle had a death grip on Gideon’s collar.

Bill gulped, swallowing all the cries of sadness that were attempting to explode out of him. He had never felt so empty and cold. Even when he had first been cursed with his immortality, he’d never felt something so akin to regret until now.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered hoarsely, lowering his head to rest against Dipper’s. “I’m so, so sorry.”

Dipper’s corpse already seemed colder than it had just moments before, but Bill couldn’t muster up the courage to let him go just yet.

The room was quiet until Gideon tried to make an escape. Stan wasn’t having any of that, though, and he lifted Gideon off his feet by the front of his expensive shirt.

“Oh no you don’t, you little weasel!” he cried, gritting his teeth. “The only place you’re going is the stocks!”

Red and Question Mark came bustling in a moment later, followed by the obnoxious blonde Bill thought he’d never have to see again. They all came to a halt, jaws slackened as they stared at the sight before them.

“I’m sorry,” Bill repeated, over and over in a haunting mantra that no one dared to interrupt. The blood that had stained on his coat was nearly dried and his hair was tangled and messy from the wind and rain.

He could hear the others murmuring to each other in hushed and distraught tones. Bill knew he wasn’t the only one to care for Dipper, far from it.

Shooting Star was weeping softly, still clutching Sixer’s coat while Pacifica patted her back awkwardly. Bill couldn’t help but feel pity for the girl; losing a sibling was a pain only a few unlucky souls had to bear, and it was not something that was easily forgotten.

His gaze traveled back down towards Dipper’s still features. Even now, Dipper was stunning. If only…if only, if only, _if only._

“What about true love’s kiss?”

All heads swiveled to look at Soos, whose eyes widened in surprised.

“I mean, isn’t that how this kinda thing works?” he rubbed his hands together, gesturing towards Dipper’s flaccid body.

Mabel had pulled herself away from Ford enough to look at her twin. She sniffed, trying to keep from letting any more tears slip down her rosy cheeks. “Do you really think it…it would work?” She glanced over at Ford, making it clear that she was asking him specifically.

“I suppose it’s worth a shot,” Ford responded immediately, and despite his firm look, Mabel could see that his eyes were slightly damp behind those cracked glasses of his. He curtly nodded towards Bill. “Well?”

The lord didn’t waste a moment with a response, instead immediately looking down at the boy he was still cradling in his arms.

He sighed, running his fingers along Dipper’s bangs, brushing them to the side to reveal that breathtaking birthmark of his.

Bill leaned closer, eyes half lidded and heart thundering in his chest. “Please,” he murmured, his breath ghosting across Dipper’s still features. “Just one more chance. I promise I won’t mess it up this time.”

He tentatively pressed his lips to Dipper’s, hope swelling inside of him. There was no reaction, no movement from the other, and Bill wondered if this really was it; this was the last time he would ever get to kiss Dipper Pines. 

Bill felt a single tear roll down his cheek, warm and lonely as it fell onto Dipper’s cooling skin. That’s when a burst of light exploded around the room. The others gawked in awe, and even Blondie’s jaw was slack at the glorious display of golden light.

Bill’s entire body relaxed when he felt a sudden, gentle push against his lips. His eyes snapped open, just in to see Dipper’s brown orbs staring back at him.

“Dipper!” Mabel screamed, rushing to his side. Bill found himself shoved out of the way as the others came to join in on their merry little reunion.

Bill scowled, making no attempt to neither conceal his jealousy nor deter the rest of Dipper’s family and friends from hugging him. Instead he got to his feet, brushing off his trousers and pretending he was preoccupied with his attire.

“W-what happened?” Dipper stuttered, his voice hoarse and a muddled look plastered across his face.

“It was Bill, dude!” Soos said, patting the boy’s shoulder earnestly.

Dipper looked to Ford in confusion. “I thought Bill’s magic was gone.”

Ford coughed awkwardly as all eyes turned to him, Bill’s in particular scrutinizing him with a raised eyebrow.

“It seems that, uh, true love has prevailed,” he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck much like Dipper would do whenever he was anxious.

Mabel pumped her fist in the air. “True love’s kiss trumps all!” she shouted, immediately turning to give Soos a high-five. This started a whole war to see how many high-fives could be given at the same time, and even Pacifica was getting in on it.

Bill’s lip remained curved in a pout and he childishly turned his head away from the touching scene. They hardly did anything and they were having all the fun! How was the fair?

“Bill?”

Bill turned back to face his lovely, very much alive Pine Tree, whose head was slightly bowed and eyes averted.

“Yes? What is it?” He had to keep himself from pouncing on the Pines twin right then and there. Oh how he wanted to take the brunet in his arms and keep him there, safe and sound, forever.

Dipper’s gaze lifted, meeting Bill’s in such a way that the breath was nearly knocked out of him. That’s when two arms encircled his neck and a tantalizingly soft kiss was pressed to his lips. Bill could feel both Sixer and Stan’s eyes boring into them, but he couldn’t care less.

“Thank you,” Dipper whispered, not taking his eyes off of Bill’s. His hand lifted to cup Bill’s cheek, the touch more than welcomed.

“I’m just glad you’re alive,” Bill admitted. His face hardened, lips curving into a grimace. “Don’t you ever scare me like that again!”

Dipper snickered, features contoured with obvious blithe. “Only if you promise to not get yourself cursed again.”

Bill smirked. “No can do, Pine Tree,” he said. “You know me, I can never seem to get out of trouble.”

“Guess I’ll have to keep an eye on you then, won’t I?” Dipper said, curling his fingers into the damp material on Bill’s shoulders.

Bill’s hands quickly found their way to the brunet’s waist, seating themselves there perfectly.

“You’ll have to stay with me if you plan to do that, kid,” Bill taunted, though as he spoke, he realized that those words were completely sincere. “You can, if you want to. Stay with me, that is,” Bill continued, albeit messily. “You can, I _want,_ you to stay with me…permanently…only if you’re fine with that, of course.” He tacked on the last part when Dipper stared at him, dumbfounded. Bill didn’t move an inch, worrying that he’d said something he shouldn’t have.

“Are you…proposing to me?” Dipper asked, a nervous laugh falling from his parted lips. He was smiling, though, and that was enough for Bill.

“Well I-“ Bill paused, shocked to find himself stumbling over his words. He let out a breathy chuckle, nodding his head. “Yes, actually, that would be nice.”

“Mmm, I dunno,” Dipper drawled teasingly, “You’ll have to ask Grunkle Stan and Ford for my hand. You sure you can handle that?”

Bill scoffed. “Please, who do you think I am?” He pulled Dipper closer, bumping their noses together. “I’m not scared of those ol’ geezers.”

“What was that?”

Bill snapped his head up, pulling away from Dipper to see ‘those ol’ geezers’ right behind him. Stan was cracking his knuckles and Ford had his arms crossed over his chest menacingly.

“I was just telling Pine Tree here how, er, lovely it is that he has such a nice family.” Bill shot them his signature golden smile, eyes closed and teeth fully displayed. He did, however, catch a glimpse Dipper’s shit-eating grin.

“Now you listen here, buddy,” Stan said, stepping closer so he was nose to nose with Bill. “I don’t care if you saved my grand nephew’s life or not, if you do anything stupid to break his heart, I’m not afraid to beat your skinny ass!”

Bill frowned, glancing around at his backside. “My ass is _not_ skinny.” Dipper snickered, but Stan seemed less than pleased.

“Oh, so you’re one of those wise-guys, aren’t ya?” Stan jabbed a finger at Bill’s chest, and that’s when both Dipper and Ford knew they needed to intervene.

“Now, Stanley,” Ford said, coaxing him away from the grumbling nuisance of a lord. “He may be frustrating, but I can assure you, he’s harmless without that curse of his.”

“I thought he had some of that magicky voodoo stuff, though! Whose side are you on anyway?” Stan grumbled, though his words were obviously forced. Ford just stood by his side, resting a hand his back in reassurance.

Stan glanced up to where Dipper had linked his arm with Cipher’s and was poking at him jokingly. Despite the scene being disgustingly cute, the way Dipper looked at him and how Bill returned the look with a genuinely warm smile was an obvious display of their affections.

Stan sighed. “It doesn’t mean I gotta like him,” he said, grudgingly admitting defeat. 

“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Ford replied curtly, a knowing grin playing on his lips. “After all, we can’t let just anyone marry Dipper.”

“Of course,” Stan agreed, cracking a smirk of his own. “Wouldn’t even dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a bit anti-climactic when there's a two week gap, yeah? Sorry 'bout that, I got really sick last week and my dad and I basically lounged around watching Marvel movies the whole time.
> 
> But seriously, you didn't really think I'd kill Dipper off just like that, did you? This is a fairytale for fuck's sake and if I want to maintain that cliche image I've upheld for so long, this story is gonna need a fluffy ending.
> 
> In all honesty, as much as I love writing angsty stuff, this ship is seriously lacking some good ol' fashioned happily ever afters, so, you're welcome. Don't get used to it.


	11. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you guys dive into this final chapter, I want to sincerely thank you for all the kudos and comments I've received. It makes me so happy, even if I don't always get a chance to thank every single person. It's been such a pleasure writing for you!

“Mmm, why are you always so warm?”

“I dunno, why are you always so cold?”

Bill pressed a kiss to the back of Dipper’s neck, nuzzling into his soft hair. “Still, it’s not fair. You need to share some of that warmth with me.”

“We literally sleep in the same bed.” Dipper rolled his eyes but made no move to pull away. Instead, he stayed seated, gaze never leaving the book he was scanning.

Bill grunted impatiently. His forearms stayed propped on the brunet’s chair, though his rather pointy chin was now resting atop Dipper’s head of fluffy curls. “That’s still not enough.”

“It’s not my fault you’re so needy,” Dipper teased, unable to prevent a lighthearted laugh from passing between his lips.

It had been a bit weird at first, Bill playing the perfect part of an affectionate lover, but Dipper wouldn’t have it any other way. He was constantly showered with attention from the ex-immortal, and he loved every second of it.

It had taken some convincing, but his great uncles had finally caved into Bill’s invitation for the entire Pines family to come and live with him at his estate. It was big enough, after all, and Dipper really didn’t want to have to choose between his family and his, er, Bill.

Things had been beyond awkward between Bill and Grunkle Ford at first, not that anyone was really stunned by this. Ford avoided him at all costs while Bill made no effort to change that.

It was Mabel who finally insisted that Ford ‘face his fears’ and talk it out with the now very human Bill. Ford really couldn’t say no to her. That, and she threatened to lock them both in the greenhouse if they didn’t solve their issues. 

Needless to say, the atmosphere slowly grew less and less tense as the days went on. Once Dipper even walked in on them laughing it up in the kitchen with Wendy, which had been a pleasant occasion to encounter.

They still hadn’t planned a date for the wedding, which Dipper really didn’t minded. It wasn’t as though he or Bill planned on running off with someone else any time soon. Mabel kept insisting they have one as quickly as possible and Bill even offered up his brother’s birthdate as a possible wedding day option, which equally surprised and delighted Dipper. Stan on the other hand wasn’t too keen on rushing things.

“Pine Tree,” Bill whined, taking to practically lean most of his body weight on Dipper and his chair.

“Alright, alright,” Dipper finally gave in, closing his book and getting to his feet. In truth, he had been finished five minutes ago, but he secretly liked the way Bill pleaded with him.

Bill sighed dramatically. “ _Finally!_ The others are waiting.”

Dipper scoffed. “Since when have you cared about being late?”

“Since I’m missing a chance to dance with you,” Bill said, his tone much too serious for his words.

“Hey, you’re the one who always takes so long to get ready.”

“Please, you love how elegant I look.”

Dipper snorted, pecking Bill’s cheek. “I can’t argue with that, now can I?” He gave the lord’s fabric-clad shoulder a quick pat before moving to the door, resting a hand on the frame and tipping his head back. “Well?”

Bill adjusted his hat, striding forward so he could stand directly in front of Dipper. “I’m sure they can wait another minute.”

Dipper’s eyebrows crinkled together. “But you just said-“

“You spend practically every moment we have alone with your nose buried in a book! Don’t blame me for wanting a second to admire my exquisite Pine Tree.” Bill pulled Dipper closer by his hips, kissing his forehead, then his nose. He ended on his lips, kissing them warmly and whispering a gentle ‘I love you’ as he pulled away.

“I know, you tell me every five minutes,” Dipper insisted, returning Bill’s soft peck on his mouth.

“There was a moment when I thought I’d never get to tell you that again,” Bill said, his tone solemn. “So, I decided that I wouldn’t waste any more time not expressing how much I adore you.”

Dipper couldn’t help but blush. “You’re kinda insane, you know that, right?”

Bill beamed, taking pride in his lover’s comment. “Of course I am!”

Dipper clasped Bill’s hand with his own, planting a much slower, deeper kiss onto his lips. “And I’m in love with you nonetheless.”

They walked out to join the others in the ballroom after stealing a few more kisses from each other. Mabel wasn’t too pleased that Dipper was late to their own birthday celebration, but she couldn’t stay mad at him for long. When the music started, her brother’s tardiness was all but forgotten. 

It only took a moment for Mabel to get everyone out onto the floor to dance along to the upbeat tune. She even dragged Ford out, linking one of her arms with his and the other with Stan’s as she jumped around like a hyperactive animal. Dipper had never seen her happier. Soos and Melody were dancing playfully and Wendy had managed to rope Robbie into joining in on the fun. Being surrounded by all these people he cared about, all of them alive and happy, made Dipper’s heart swell with joy.

“Care to dance, Pine Tree?” Bill asked, his eyebrow rising expectedly. The brunet didn’t hesitate, taking Bill’s hand and letting the man pull him into a half-assed, fast-paced version of the waltz. How they didn’t end up tangled on the floor was beyond him, and yet he enjoyed it all the same.

Needless to say, Dipper was content. Cheesy as it may be, he could say that he’d found his happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I can't believe I've finally finished this, and it wasn't even that long!
> 
> I felt my writing was pretty mediocre and I'm positive I can do much better. So yeah, there'll be more fics to come. I have a few two-shots that will (hopefully) be out soon, as well as a super long ass fic that I've been planning out for a few months now. 
> 
> If you have any questions about Raining Roses or any of my future works, go ahead and send an ask to either my strictly [billdip tumblr](http://be-my-pine-tree.tumblr.com/) or my [semi-personal mostly gravity falls tumblr.](http://micky-has-a-fez.tumblr.com/) Or just drop by to say hi, I really don't go outside much.

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to historical inaccuracy hell. You probably won't enjoy your stay.


End file.
